From Hero To Legend
by RandomBoss
Summary: One month after Plan Z. Plankton has a new plan capable of ending life under the sea. Meanwhile, SpongeBob discovers that he has a special gift given to the purest and happiest. Also, his friendship with Sandy is fading away. He wants to see her again, and maybe this journey can revive their friendship. Perhaps it can make them more than that. Developing Spandy. Epilogue up!
1. Prologue: After Plan Z

**This is my first story, so feedback and constructive criticism is greatly appreciated. I am writing this story mostly to improve my creative writing skills, so I want to know what I need to improve.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the SpongeBob characters.**

**Edit (5/27): I decided to fix more errors throughout the story. I removed the word 'said' and added some descriptions and thoughts and whatnot.**

Prologue: After Plan Z

It had been a month since SpongeBob and Patrick returned from Shell City and defeated Plankton. Life in Bikini Bottom seemed to return to normal, except for a few remnants of Plankton's monuments that laid in piles.

Ever since he came back, SpongeBob was regarded as a hero by the Bikini Bottomites. The news spread across all oceans, the seven seas, and even on land that a young hero against all odds saved his hometown from certain destruction. The mayor of Bikini Bottom honored SpongeBob as the town hero for this deed, and declared that National No SpongeBob Day, which celebrated getting away from SpongeBob, would be replaced by National SpongeBob Day, which lasted the entire month of SpongeBob's birth month, July. The mayor thought about honoring Patrick as well, but as quickly as he came back, he forgot a lot about the journey and kept drooling over Mindy, so he disregarded him. Even though he accepted being a kid, the Bikini Bottomites no longer called SpongeBob a kid, but rather a young man. Either way, SpongeBob was still happy as usual.

SpongeBob, though flattered by the compliments, congratulations, and thank yous, was careful not to let this new-found fame and popularity get to his head, as he regretted all the times his personality changed for the worse due to fame. As the Krusty Krab 2 Manager, SpongeBob spent his time looking for an employee that would man the register because he still cherished his original duty of being a fry cook, a job he never wanted to abandon.

SpongeBob's friends for the most part changed their attitudes toward SpongeBob. Squidward became a lot nicer to SpongeBob, but occasionally he can still get annoying at times. Whenever he does get annoyed, Squidward continuously reminded to himself what his fate would be like if SpongeBob never returned from Shell City. Mr. Krabs became slightly more generous, taking a dollar off all the prices on the menu. He also came to fully trust SpongeBob because he was his most loyal moneymaking employee a crab could have. Patrick, despite going on a life-changing adventure, returned to his daily routine of eating and sleeping. One of the only things in his mind that he never forgot was Mindy, whom he developed a cute yet creepy crush on.

Despite everything positive that happened to him since his return, there was only one thing that bothered SpongeBob. He had not seen Sandy since he came back from Shell City, and even before that, they rarely saw each other. Every time SpongeBob tried to visit, Sandy either ignored him or kicked him out. It got to the point where SpongeBob feared that his friendship with Sandy was slowly fading. Because he was so optimistic, SpongeBob pushed that thought aside and hoped that he and Sandy can rebuild their friendship eventually.

As for Sandy, whenever she kicked SpongeBob out, she felt very bad because she knew throughout their years of friendship that he had good intentions every time he visited. She had been so busy with her inventions that she had literally no free time except to sleep or eat. Sandy was so busy because her monkey bosses, since the banana peeler incident, kept a close eye on her and regarded her as one of their best workers, saying she raised the standards that all other employees should reach to be as successful. As flattered as she was, Sandy became disgruntled because due to her bosses' statement, she had been assigned some of the most difficult projects possible to invent. Like SpongeBob, Sandy could not help but think that their friendship was fading, but also hoped that there would be some way in the near future for them to be best friends again.

As for Mindy and King Neptune, they agreed to each other to take weekly check-ups and status reports in Bikini Bottom to make sure that no incident similar to the Shell City incident would ever happen again. It was a pleasure to Mindy, as she was eager every time to talk to some of the folks, especially SpongeBob and Patrick. King Neptune was a lot nicer to his subjects, much to Mindy's relief. He promised that he would not let his anger control his actions anymore.

Plankton escaped the maximum security prison again and hid in the Chum Bucket. Since Plan Z failed, Plankton was an emotional wreck, crying, moaning and moping hour upon hour that he was so close to becoming the ruler of the world but got defeated and humiliated by SpongeBob. He vowed revenge on SpongeBob, his meddlesome friends, Mr. Krabs, King Neptune and the world. They all had to pay.

Everything seemed to be back to normal, but little did everybody know what will be happening in the following weeks. Nothing will be the same for Bikini Bottom afterwards.

**Hope you enjoyed! Chapter 1 will be up shortly!**


	2. Chapter 1: Nightmares?

**Here's Chapter 1. Hope you enjoy and feedback is appreciated! If anyone wonders, I have most of the story done in Google Docs so expect 5+ chapters to be uploaded today. **

Chapter 1: Nightmares?

SpongeBob was walking back home after another hard-working, yet fun day as manager and fry cook of the Krusty Krab 2. He was whistling a tune as he sauntered along the sidewalk of Downtown Bikini Bottom until he heard a familiar female voice coming from behind him, "Hello SpongeBob!" SpongeBob turned around and smiled to see Princess Mindy from down the street. SpongeBob yelled back, "Oh, hi Mindy!" Mindy swam up and across the street to SpongeBob. When she reached him, she asked, "So how was your week, SpongeBob?" SpongeBob replied, "This week was great! I don't think I can ask for a better job!" Mindy laughed at SpongeBob's optimism. She then asked, "I've wanted to ask you. Would you like to have a tour of my home? Think of it as a personal token of congratulations for saving my father's crown and saving Bikini Bottom." SpongeBob thought for a second, smiled and answered, "Okay! How about Sunday? Both Krusty Krabs are closed on Sundays, so I'll be having some free time." Mindy beamed, "Okay. Well, I gotta go back to the palace before nighttime. Daddy's waiting for me right now. See you on Sunday, SpongeBob!" "Bye, Mindy," SpongeBob shouted as Mindy swam away. He then continued towards home.

As SpongeBob reached Conch Street, Patrick ran up to him, grinning his usual goofy grin. He greeted, "Hey, SpongeBob! Wanna go jellyfishing?! I got a brand new net!" He held out a new jellyfishing net. SpongeBob laughed, "Sure thing, Patrick. I gotta stop at sunset. Work's been slow, but being Manager holds no excuse!" Patrick cheered, "Hooray! C'mon buddy!" He started sprinting towards Jellyfish Fields. SpongeBob pulled Ol' Reliable out from his back pocket and followed, laughing all the way. They played for about an hour and a half before SpongeBob checked his time. It was 6:30 and the sun was promptly setting. He called to Patrick, "Well, that was fun, Patrick! Gotta go and get ready for bed now. See you tomorrow!" Patrick shouted back, "Okay! Bye SpongeBob!" He went back to jellyfishing. SpongeBob sprinted back to Conch Street.

Once he reached his pineapple home, he was greeted by Gary, who meowed happily. SpongeBob smiled and greeted, "Hi, Gary! Are you hungry?" Gary meowed affirmatively then slithered toward the kitchen. After filling Gary's food bowl with Snail-po, SpongeBob decided to turn on the television because he still had an hour of free time before going to bed. He turned to the news station, where, as if the station expected SpongeBob to turn to their channel at that exact moment, a breaking news story came on. Perch Perkins appeared on the screen, "This is Bikini Bottom breaking news at seven. Perch Perkins here." A picture of various monsters and screaming people with large captions that read, "NIGHTMARE EPIDEMIC" appeared on the screen. Perch continued, "Ever since Bikini Bottom was saved from Plankton's Plan Z scheme, citizens all over Bikini Bottom have reported a series of nightmares that occur every few nights. Authorities and doctors alike cannot explain the epidemic, nor do they know the cause of such. Even police officers have reported these nightmares. These nightmares have since caused many people to be overly exhausted during the day and timid to sleep during the night. Nobody knows where this came from, so we have no choice but to wait it off and hope it ends. This is Perch Perkins, signing off." SpongeBob shut off the television and thought to himself aloud, _That's funny. I haven't had these nightmares yet. Neither did Patrick, but Squidward and Gary do seem a lot sleepier than usual lately._ SpongeBob put the thought aside and headed upstairs for bed. He saw Gary asleep, but noticed that he was trembling, as if cold or scared. "Goodnight, Gary," SpongeBob whispered, gently rubbing Gary's shell, oblivious that Gary was actually having a nightmare, like what Perch said on television. SpongeBob brushed his teeth and climbed in bed. SpongeBob laid down and closed his eyes, and before he knew it, he was having a peaceful, dreamless sleep.

**Chapter 2 will be up shortly! Stay tuned!**


	3. Chapter 2: Tour of the Royal Palace

**Here it is! Chapter 2! Enjoy!**

Chapter 2: Tour of the Royal Palace

Two days went by without much incident except Squidward screaming in the night due to nightmares he was having. It was finally Sunday, and SpongeBob was getting ready to get picked up by Mindy so she can give him a grand tour of the royal palace. SpongeBob ate Kelp Cereal and filled Gary's food bowl in case he woke up while he was gone. He heard a knock on the door. He opened the door to reveal Mindy, who smiled, "Hi SpongeBob! Are you ready to go?" "I'm ready, Mindy!" SpongeBob answered. Mindy smiled, motioned him to the carriage and played around saying, "Well then, after you sir." SpongeBob giggled and bowed playfully before entering the carriage. Mindy laughed and entered the carriage. She whipped the seahorses, who started to gallop and the two were off to the royal palace.

When they reached the gates of the large sand castle, Mindy alerted the guards to let them know she brought a special guest. They opened the gate and the two stopped by the main entrance. "My father's at Barnacle Bay settling a dispute between the mayor and townspeople, so I am home alone for the tour." Mindy opened the huge door, revealing an immense hall with a red grand staircase with bronze railways on each side in the end. A long red carpet with golden serpent designs and golden border led to every door and ended at the staircase. A large portrait of King Neptune was on the opposite wall. The doors ranged in color with the name of each room typed in cursive in the middle. Banners with pictures of Roman Gods, ancestors and legends past were draped along the side walls. A large window on top of the portrait showed a picture of Neptune with his famous trident aimed at evil legendary monsters.

SpongeBob was completely speechless. Never had he seen such a colorful and huge room in his life. Mindy started the tour, "So SpongeBob, as you can see, this is the Grand Hall. It leads to every other room in the palace. The banners along the walls on the side are of Roman Gods such as Jupiter, Mars and Apollo and mythological legends." All SpongeBob could say was, "Wow... This room is bigger than my house." Mindy laughed at SpongeBob's statement. SpongeBob joined in. After calming down, Mindy motioned SpongeBob to the first door on the left. She opened the burgundy door and SpongeBob saw a long dining table with a red tablecloth with gold borderlines. The walls were decorated with standing knight armor and a long, large mural of Neptune similar to the one on the large window in the Grand Hall. "This is the Dining Hall. This is simply where my father and I receive our meals. The table is so long because my father occasionally invites gods and goddesses for private meetings and parties." SpongeBob said, "Cool! What kind of food do you eat here, Mindy?" "We usually eat salads and vegetable meals. My father only requests meat during very special occasions." They left the Dining Hall. Mindy pointed to the chained stone wall on the opposite end of the Dining Hall, "That's the room that leads to the Dungeons and the Torture Chamber. Nobody is allowed in there except for the guards and my father." She then pointed at the red grand staircase and continued, "The stairs lead to our private bedrooms. There are a couple of guest beds and about six bathrooms. Unfortunately, no regular guests are allowed upstairs. My bedroom is a mess anyways."

SpongeBob followed Mindy to a gray door with the words "DO NOT ENTER" in cursive typed on a sign in the middle. SpongeBob, getting nervous, asked, "Um.. Mindy? Why are we here? I don't think we're allowed to see what's inside." He pointed at the sign on the door. Mindy said, "This is the real reason I wanted you to come here, SpongeBob. My father's not here, anyways, so he probably won't find out." The room was dark upon entrance. Mindy turned on the lights to reveal an empty room except for a large wooden cabinet in the end. The cabinet was filled with golden scrolls with cursive seals.

Mindy explained, "This is the Room of Fate. Here, you can find out your purpose in life, date of death, and significant other. There's a reason why nobody is allowed here. Knowing your fate is bad because it causes you to take immediate action to fulfill or prevent it. This is where I learned and memorized the names of all the sea creatures. The reason we are here, SpongeBob, is that I've learned on the day you beat Plankton against all odds that you have a gift. I snuck in here late at night to do some research. I checked for your name in the scroll that predicts one's gifts and talents. When I found your name and what your gifts and talents are, that's when I knew you are the one." SpongeBob was confused. "The one? What do you mean?" He asked. Mindy explained, "You are the Pure Spirit! This explains how you survived the trench unscathed, how you survived drying out, and the Goofy Goober song!" SpongeBob was astounded, but still confused. He asked, "I'm a Pure Spirit? What's that?" Mindy explained, "A Pure Spirit is an extremely kind-hearted and loving spirit. They are among the purest and happiest in the world. They have the ability to conjure anything that can save the lives of others. When it is activated, you are at your most powerful and can be virtually unstoppable. Rumor has it that if you sacrifice yourself for another or die in battle, only your true love can revive you through affection, such as holding hands, kissing, or a statement of true love, such as saying 'I love you.'"

SpongeBob was amazed and scared. _I'm a Pure Spirit! How is this possible? There's one more thing,_ SpongeBob thought to himself. He then asked, "So who's my true love?" Mindy answered, "Well, normally I wouldn't do this, but it can't hurt with you here." She pulled out a scroll with the seal that reads, "TRUE LOVE" and unrolled it. SpongeBob stared at the contents of the scroll. He looked at every sea creature's name on the left column that was arranged by last name in alphabetical order and the name of the life partner on the right column. When Mindy reached the letter 'S' on the scroll, she read aloud, "Squabber, Squaffle, Squam, Squamley, Squappy, Squarely, Squarepants, there you are." SpongeBob broke his blank stare and looked at his name printed in gold on the scroll. To both his and Mindy's surprise, there was no other name visible on the right column. "That's strange," Mindy looked at SpongeBob's name again if she made a mistake, "This can't be possible. Every sea creature has a true love." SpongeBob, getting scared, questioned, "What? Does this mean that I have no true love? Am I destined to be single forever?" Mindy tried to calm him down, "No. Even if you stay single, there should still be a name on the right column. Those who stay single either choose to do so or they unfortunately never met their true love. I can't explain this though." Mindy tried to think of theories that could explain this mystery, while SpongeBob thought to himself, sad and worried that he might not have a true love. Mindy sighed to herself and told SpongeBob, "I'm sorry SpongeBob. I'll think about this later. Let's finish the tour." SpongeBob sighed too, and followed Mindy out of the Room of Fate.

The rest of the tour went by quickly and, in SpongeBob's case, quietly. After Mindy ended the tour and dropped SpongeBob back at his pineapple home, SpongeBob was deep in thought. All he could think of that afternoon and night was his true love and his newly discovered gift. "Mindy's right," SpongeBob told himself, "Fate IS scary. Now I don't know if I have a true love." SpongeBob sighed and went to bed, hoping another day at work can get his mind off what he recently found out.

**Chapter 3 should be up soon! Stay tuned!**


	4. Chapter 3: Plankton's Plan

**Chapter 3 is up! Enjoy!**

Chapter 3: Plankton's Plan

In the Chum Bucket, Plankton was sitting alone with his head hanging low on his desk. Karen entered the room and complained, "Plankton, you've been like this ever since you escaped the prison. It's not healthy for you, and things are duller than ever around here." Plankton lifted his head to reveal his bloodshot eye and a long, elegant white beard. With a raspy, angry voice, Plankton responded, "It's not fair Karen," he raised his voice, "IT'S JUST NOT FAIR! I was so close to ruling the world and that blasted sponge ruined it all with a stupid song!" He stood up and panted, looking like his usual self again. After a moment of silence, Karen suggested, "The problem with you is that your plans aren't completely thought through. Why don't you come up with a plan that is perfectly thought through and guarantees success one hundred percent?" Plankton complained, "How can I do that if I'm such a failure?" His eye dilated and his lips quivered. Karen tried to calm him down, "Come on, honey. I know you can do this. All you need to do is remember your best, most destructive plans and combine them into one unstoppable plan." Plankton interrupted, "Be quiet, Karen, I'm trying to think." He snapped his fingers in realization. "I got it," he smiled, "I should combine my best and most destructive plans and combine them to make one unstoppable plan! Sheldon, you've done it again!" Plankton started dancing at his "brilliance." Karen sighed and thought aloud, "Sometimes I wonder why I still give him advice.." She rolled away to clean the lab. Plankton stopped dancing and thought to himself, "Now I should think every outcome, every obstacle, every dead end, and find an alternative to maintain control of the situation. I should also expect the unexpected as well as the actions and weaknesses of my adversaries." He sighed, "This... will take a while"

Two days passed and Karen was watching a soap opera on a random television. She never heard from Plankton since she suggested the "perfect plan." She rolled into his room and saw him standing on his desk, smirking. Plankton heard her entry and turned around, "I think I've done it, Karen," he exclaimed. Still skeptical, Karen asked, "So you've thought everything out?" Plankton replied, "Trust me, baby, you'll know it when you see it." Karen asked another question, "So which best plans did you choose?" Plankton answered, "Obviously Plan Z, the Duplicatotron, the henchmen plan, and the usage of distraction similar to the sled race to oblivion, except this time, with robots. Also, I'm going to get my revenge on King Neptune, by overthrowing him!" He laughed evilly and jumped down from his desk and walked toward the door to his lab. He turned back at Karen, who was staring blankly at him. He jumped down from his desk, "Now to prove to you that I've thought this out completely. I'm going to be in the lab for a while to dust off the Duplicatotron 3000 and do some reprogramming and upgrading. Then, I'll be making some phone calls to certain people who hate SpongeBob as much as I do. Then this plan will be underway. In one week's time, I will be ruler of the sea, and soon the world! And there will be NOBODY to stop me this time!" Plankton laughed evilly again and shut the doors behind him. All Karen could say was, "Well, this will be an interesting month." She then returned to her soap opera.

**Hope you enjoyed and stay tuned!**


	5. Chapter 4: Robotic Ambush!

**New chapter up! Enjoy!**

Chapter 4: Robotic Ambush!

Five days passed since the tour of the royal palace. SpongeBob was in the kitchen of the Krusty Krab 2. He still didn't get over his fate and whether he had a true love. He also had half a mind to try to visit Sandy after work in order to finally catch up, but he was reluctant to do so because he was afraid that she would kick him out again. He sighed sadly, _What if we're not friends anymore? Does she hate me now?_

He checked the time. It was almost noon, meaning he can close the Krusty Krab 2 for a half hour to visit the original Krusty Krab for lunch break. SpongeBob sighed. Maybe some lunch will clear his mind from his situation with Sandy. He could also use some advice from Patrick and Squidward on how to talk to her. He grabbed the "CLOSED" sign from his office. He placed it on the front window, then locked the front doors and sauntered towards the original Krusty Krab. Squidward was reading a magazine at the register. He looked up when he heard the front doors opening, revealing SpongeBob whistling another tune. Squidward smiled slightly and asked, "Hello SpongeBob. Another lunch break, I assume?" SpongeBob answered, "You bet, Squidward!" Hearing his voice, Mr. Krabs flew out of his office and stopped in front of SpongeBob. He yelled, "Ahoy, me one and only manager! Did you make me lots of money?" SpongeBob laughed and answered, "Yessiree, Mr. K!" Mr. Krabs laughed. He then asked, "What's the matter boy-o? You seem a bit tired. More tired than Squidward, and that's saying something." SpongeBob sighed, "It's nothing. I just have a lot in my mind, but it's okay, Mr. K." Mr. Krabs smiled, "That's good. Well, gotta go and count me loot. Enjoy your lunch!" He laughed again and went back into his office to count his money. All of a sudden, Patrick walked through the front doors, "Good afternoon, Krusty Crew!" SpongeBob turned around and smiled, "Hey Patrick. Ready to have lunch at our usual table?" He pointed at the table between the front door and the right corner of the restaurant. Patrick answered, "Yes I am!" He pulls a bag of four krabby patties out of his pocket. Right as they started walking to the table, Squidward came up to SpongeBob and asked, "SpongeBob, mind if I join for lunch break? I need SOME company here. It's a lot more boring than it already was without you around to bother me nowadays." SpongeBob smiled. "Sure, Squiddy," he answered, "Grab a chair and join us." Squidward grabbed his bag which contained a salad and a single plain krabby patty from behind the register, grabbed a barrel from an empty table, and joined SpongeBob and Patrick for lunch.

For a while, the three ate their lunches quietly. Squidward, annoyed with the silence, tapped SpongeBob, "Hey, SpongeBob?" SpongeBob looked at Squidward curiously, his mouth full with his lunch, "Hmmm?" Squidward asked, "Remember when you and I did a list of things to do after I gave you that exploding pie on Employee Brotherhood Day?" SpongeBob nodded his head and gulped his food. "Sure, I do," SpongeBob replied, "It's one of my favorite memories! Why do you ask?" Squidward responded, "Well, ever since you saved me from Plankton's wrath, I've been reminiscing times when I was actually happy with you around, and the exploding pie event came into mind." He asked another question, "Ever since that day, did you do that with any of your other friends?" SpongeBob answered, "Why, sure! Patrick and I do them all the time, and I tricked Sandy into doing it as an initiation of friendship. I miss Sandy..." SpongeBob sighed sadly after mentioning Sandy. Squidward sensed his sadness, "What has the squirrel done to you this time?" SpongeBob answered, "Nothing, really. I just… haven't seen her since I returned from Shell City. She left as soon as the rest of us started my celebration as new Krusty Krab 2 manager and of my saving Bikini Bottom from Plankton." Squidward scoffed, "Someone's ungrateful… I mean puh-leeze. If it weren't for you and Patrick, we'd all probably be dead by now." SpongeBob sighed, "I'm afraid that Sandy might not want to be my friend anymore. It's been months since we last did something together." Patrick patted SpongeBob's back. He assured, his mouth still full with a Krabby Patty, "C'mon, buddy. She'll be your friend again. All you gotta do is be fancy." SpongeBob sighed, "Patrick, not this again. Your 'fancy' tactic almost got us both killed the first time we visited her!" Squidward interrupted, "Look, SpongeBob, if you really want Sandy to be your friend again, just talk to her. If she gets stubborn or borderline violent, stand your ground. She'll eventually open up." SpongeBob nodded, "Thanks for the advice, Squidward. Let's just finish our lunch." Patrick and Squidward both nodded in agreement and the three quickly and quietly finished their lunch.

Meanwhile, in the Chum Bucket, Plankton was staring at his improved Duplicatotron 4000. He turned around to see Dennis, who had a patch on his left eye and looking much more sinister than ever before. Behind him to the left was Flats the Flounder, looking stronger than when he went to Boating School, showing more pronounced muscles and a permanent scowl printed on his face. On the right was the Tattletale Strangler, looking more able and angrier than when he came across that cursed sponge. Between Flats and the Strangler was Manray, looking his usual except with new weapons Plankton made just for him. Behind the group, dozens of able-bodied men from the prison, followed by an entire army of robots of many types and functions led by a giant, four-armed robot with a laser for a left eye. Everyone took a military stance and the entire area was silent. Plankton climbed on the top of the Duplicatotron and picked up the megaphone conveniently placed atop the tall machine. He started his speech, "Everyone, I'm so glad you can all join me today. You are all officially my army. You will all help me take over the world and destroy SpongeBob Squarepants once and for all!" The group of men cheered. Plankton continued, "Okay, now to split you guys up in order for this plan to come to fruition. Manray, you and the smallest robots will be wreaking havoc on every town in the sea, starting with Bikini Bottom. Robo-Commander, you will be in charge of stealing the formula and capturing Krabs, the squid, and the starfish." He pointed at some medium-sized robots with multiple hardware supplies for arms. Plankton continued, "Construction robots, you will be building me my own royal palace far from here. There I will keep the prisoners locked tight and make Squarepants work to try to stop me." The construction robots ran or rolled off. Plankton glanced at the able-bodied men. "I will assign each of you a city to stand guard in case SpongeBob stops by for a break or for directions. Also, make sure the robots are causing panic throughout every street. Flats, Strangler, Dennis and the toughest robots will come with me to make sure everything goes as planned. We will all rendezvous in front of the royal palace when we're done. Got it?" Collectively, the men shouted, "YES, SIR!" while the robots beeped and charged their laser arms and weaponry. _Nobody stands a chance against me this time_, Plankton thought to himself. The army as a whole rolled out of the back of the Chum Bucket to go with Plankton's plan. The townspeople noticed the robots aiming their weapons at them and started screaming.

SpongeBob, Patrick and Squidward heard the screaming and noticed the robots. All three screamed. SpongeBob and Patrick ran to the Krusty Krab 2 and took cover while Squidward alerted Mr. Krabs. Robo-Commander shattered the doors of the original Krusty Krab followed by a large group of robots with a robot arm and a laser on one of their eyes. Robo-Commander detected Squidward cowering behind the register and pointed to him. "Capture the squid," commanded Robo-Commander. Three robots grabbed Squidward. Squidward squirmed at a desperate but futile attempt to break free from their iron grasp. The robots carried him out of the restaurant. Ten robots grouped up in front of Mr. Krabs' office, guns aimed at the doorway. Robo-Commander motioned the front robot to breach the office. Mr. Krabs huddled behind his desk, holding the formula in hand. He yelled as the door blew open, "You will never get this formula from me, Plankton! You're gonna have to take it from my cold, dead claws!" To his surprise, Plankton never appeared, but a giant four-armed robot silhouette appeared in the smoke. Mr. Krabs screamed and begged for it to spare him. Robo-Commander detected the formula in Mr. Krabs' pocket. It slowly approached the sweaty crab. Mr. Krabs could not stop shaking in fear. Robo-Commander used one of its arms to rip the formula from Mr. Krabs' pocket before Mr. Krabs had enough time to react. It announced, "Operation Steal Formula successful." It turned to the robots. "Capture the crab," commanded Robo-Commander. Mr. Krabs made a fighting stance. He punched two robots away, destroying one. He then got outnumbered as five robots rolled up to him and grabbed his limbs. Mr. Krabs tried to shake free like he used to when he got captured in the Navy. The robots' arms were just too strong. Mr. Krabs screamed and cried, "NOOOOOOOO!" as the robots carried him out of the Krusty Krab. Robo-Commander was about to walk toward the rendezvous point according to its GPS tracker, but detected activity going on in the Krusty Krab 2, and noticed SpongeBob and Patrick grabbing tables and chairs and throwing them at the front doors in order to barricade it. Robo-Commander motioned some of the nearby robots to join it.

SpongeBob frantically asked, "Is that everything?" After throwing the last barrel, Patrick answered, "Yeah, that's everything." Robo-Commander charged its laser eye and blew up the barricade with ease. SpongeBob and Patrick screamed and huddled in the kitchen. The robots that followed Robo-Commander searched the area. They noticed SpongeBob and Patrick peeking their heads out the kitchen window. As quickly as they went up, they put their heads down. "Do you think we should run for it?" SpongeBob asked. "No," Patrick answered, "We're not kids anymore SpongeBob! We can beat these robots, like in the video games!" "But this isn't a game, Patrick!" SpongeBob harshly whispered, "I don't know about this!" Patrick rolled his eyes, "Suit yourself, ScaredyPants. I'm going to win this game whether you are joining me or not!" With that, Patrick stormed out the kitchen door with a goofy smirk. He stopped when he saw the lasers. "Cool! Lasers! Hey SpongeBob, come look!" Robo-Commander ordered the robots, "Capture the starfish." Patrick took an awkward fighting stance, but was easily grabbed by the robots. "Hey, that's cheating," complained Patrick. Robo-Commander stared at Patrick with its metallic eyes, scaring Patrick. The robots started to carry him away. Patrick broke free with some help from his weight and tried to run back into the kitchen. Robo-Commander grabbed Patrick and held him tight so he could not escape. "SPONGEBOB, HELP! THESE ROBOTS ARE CHEATING!" SpongeBob noticed Robo-Commander taking Patrick away. "Patrick, NOOOOO!" He screamed. Robo-Commander turned around with Patrick still slung around its shoulder. All of the robots' eyes, including Robo-Commander's, turned red. "DESTROY SPONGEBOB," they all said in a threatening monotonic voice. SpongeBob knew he could not fight them off, so he decided to run out the back door. The robots chased him, except for Robo-Commander, whose legs turned into rocket boosters. Two of its arms turned into wings, and its legs ignited. It flew away at lightning speed, with Patrick screaming for help.

The robots searched the kitchen, but could not locate SpongeBob. They rolled out of the back door as a pack and rolled off to wreak more havoc on the town. SpongeBob crawled out of the dumpster, coughing and wheezing at the rotten stench it emitted. He panted, then looked fearfully at the burning town and what's left of the two Krusty Krabs. He walked slowly into his office and told himself, "It's happening again. What am I gonna do? How am I going to fix THIS?" SpongeBob laid his head on his desk with little hope of pulling through this. He hoped and prayed that this was all just a dream.

**Stay tuned for the next chapter! Don't worry, it's most likely the last chapter I'll update today.**


	6. Chapter 5: A New King

**Here it is! Chapter 5! Enjoy! **

Chapter 5: A New King

Plankton stood on top of Karen's screen in a military uniform. Dennis was keeping watch behind him, with a squad of robots following them. Everyone else was busy making sure that everything was going as planned. They stopped in sight of the royal palace. The distant screams of Bikini Bottom were audible, and explosions went off every few seconds. "The coast is clear, Tiny," Dennis told Plankton. "Perfect," Plankton replied, "Now we wait for the rest of the group, and then, we charge the palace."

About an hour passed. Plankton checked the time on his watch that conveniently appeared on his wrist. It was only 2:00 P.M. He looked up to see Robo-Commander and its robot crew. It had Patrick slung around its shoulder, and the robots were holding Squidward and Mr. Krabs, the former shaking with fear and the latter showing a death glare. Mr. Krabs yelled, "PLANKTON! I knew you were behind this!" The robot holding him shocked him, causing Mr. Krabs to scream as jolts of pain filled his being. Squidward glanced at Mr. Krabs and shook more violently. Plankton smirked, "Well, well, Krabs. I swore revenge since the day your stupid manager stopped me. Now you will pay. You will all pay!" Mr. Krabs looked back and saw the royal palace. Confused, he asked, "What are we doing next to King Neptune's palace?" "Excellent question, Eugene," Plankton replied, "I am here to overthrow Neptune and become the new ruler of the sea, and this time, SpongeBob will not be able to stop me!" Plankton commenced his evil laugh.

Mr. Krabs looked around him, seeing Robo-Commander, Dennis, and a large group of robots. He sighed. King Neptune may fall with the lineup Plankton had behind him. Robo-Commander dropped Patrick, who was immobile with cuffs around his arms and legs. "Hey, guys," Patrick said to Squidward and Mr. Krabs smiling, oblivious to the fact that he was taken hostage. Squidward yelled, "Patrick, there is no time for hellos! Can't you see we are PRISONERS!" Plankton looked at Dennis and Robo-Commander. "Guys, it's time," Plankton growled.

Robo-Commander walked up to the front gate of the royal palace. The palace guards looked at it curiously. Robo-Commander raised one of its arms and transformed it into a cannon. The head guard pointed at another guard. He commanded, "You! Alert the king!" He pointed at another, "And you, call for backup!" Robo-Commander's gun fired, breaking the front gate, causing two guards to fall into its path. The two looked at each other fearfully, then raised their arms and dropped their weapons, surrendering. Two robots came up from behind Robo-Commander and apprehended the two fallen guards. King Neptune, with Mindy next to him at the throne room, felt a jolt as the front gate crashed down. Neptune questioned, "What in blue blazes is going on out there?" All of a sudden, a guard burst through the door and sprinted towards Neptune. He yelled, "Your highness, the palace is under attack!" Neptune was shocked, "WHAT? By who?" The guard panted and yelled, "R-robots, sir!" Neptune pointed at the guard, "Well then get Mindy out of here!" He looked at Mindy, who was scared and curious of what's going on. She asked, "Daddy, what's happening?" Neptune answered, "The palace is under siege. Follow the guard to the back of the palace. I can't risk losing you." Mindy, though reluctant, did as she was told and exited the throne room after the guard. Neptune made a melancholic face, then picked up his trident.

Back outside, all the guards were beaten and apprehended. Plankton was on Dennis's shoulder, holding a laser gun. Two guards swam up to them with spears. Plankton fired his laser, causing the two guards to scream, then were promptly apprehended by some of the robots. Neptune burst through the door with his trident glowing with flames. He fired at robots, destroying about a handful. Plankton fired his laser and zapped Neptune. Neptune dropped his trident screaming in pain, then a crushing punch by Robo-Commander made him fall. Plankton went down Dennis's shoulder and walked up to Neptune. Neptune looked at him, saying, "Plankton. I should have known." Plankton smirked, "Surrender now, Neptune, unless you want to see what will happen to your precious daughter." Mindy was pushed into the scene with a robot grabbing her wrists. Neptune gasped, "Mindy, what happened?" Mindy looked down and sighed, "There were robots everywhere, Daddy. They came from the back as well." Neptune sighed. _All is lost_, he thought to himself. He sighed, "I... I surrender. Don't do anything to her!" Robo-Commander came up and took Neptune's crown. A large robot grabbed Neptune's wrists and cuffed them. Neptune looked down, defeated and saddened at the turn of events.

Robo-Commander dropped the crown in front of Plankton, who looked at it and smiled, "Now, the moment I've been waiting for!" He touched the crown, causing Plankton to grow. He grew almost to Neptune's height. Plankton then put the crown on top of his head, which fit perfectly. He picked up the trident and sat on the throne. He laughed maniacally and yelled, "I did it! I am now the king of the ocean!" He laughed evilly again. The apprehended guards bowed their heads at the new king shamefully. The robots threw their weapons up and beeped. Karen, next to Plankton, informed, "Plankton, the new palace is completed and ready." Plankton stopped laughing, "Perfect, now for new assignments. Robo-Commander, your new job is to stand guard at my palace. Dennis, your job is to eliminate SpongeBob, once and for all. The rest of you, just keep destroying stuff."

Mindy stared at the scene in disbelief and fear. She thought, _I gotta get out of here! SpongeBob, I hope you can help my father reclaim his throne and save us all again._ She then used this chance to escape. She smacked the robot and swam quickly to the carriage. She cracked her whips at the seahorses and rode to Bikini Bottom, hoping that SpongeBob was going to be able to save everyone again.

**I hope you guys enjoyed, and here's where the chapters get longer and longer. Stay tuned for Chapter 6!**


	7. Chapter 6: A New Quest and Confrontation

**Chapter 6 is up! Enjoy and be sure to leave feedback!**

Chapter 6: A New Quest and a Confrontation

SpongeBob was still huddled in his office in what was left of the Krusty Krab 2. He was thinking about who to turn to and what to do. The robots took Patrick, Squidward and Mr. Krabs. The only person he can think of from the top of his head that had the potential to help him was Sandy, but he was still worried that she would not help him.

Shaking, he slowly walked towards the debris that was once the front doors. He looked around to see that Bikini Bottom was completely demolished. Buildings were toppled and burning, craters filled the ground and missile tails were sticking out of the ground. Destroyed robot parts were scattered everywhere. Bikini Bottomites were either trying to fight the robots or running away to cover or to another town. Bikini Bottom looked like a war zone. SpongeBob was devastated. His lovely town, despite the many times he saved it before, had fallen to robots.

Suddenly, to his right, he heard the words, "Destroy SpongeBob." Two small robots with electric batons and a larger robot with a cannon for an arm were heading towards him. SpongeBob gasped and ran back inside. He ran into the kitchen and grabbed his trusty spatula. The robots burst into the kitchen door. SpongeBob made a fighting stance. He dodged a cannon blast and stabbed one of the small robots with his spatula through its power source. He kicked the other small robot and batted it away with his spatula. The robot crashed into the wall and exploded on impact. SpongeBob turned to the large robot, its cannon pointing straight at him. SpongeBob yelled a battle cry and sprinted towards the robot. The robot fired its cannon. SpongeBob barely dodged it and flew at the robot with his spatula. He slashed the robot's head clean off, its body collapsing like a tree, and making a powering down noise. SpongeBob panted. He hadn't fought like that since the last time robots invaded Bikini Bottom. He decided to stay in his office in case any more robots lurked nearby.

Mindy arrived on Conch Street. She hoped that SpongeBob was alright. She needed him now more than ever. She swam quickly to SpongeBob's pineapple, hoping he was in there and okay. She looked around for any robots. When spotting none, Mindy pounded on the door multiple times. To her surprise, it was not SpongeBob who answered the door, but Gary. Gary looked terrible. His eyes were red and puffy as if sleeping, crying or both. He had bags on his stalks as if he had no sleep the night before. Mindy gasped, "Gary? What happened to you? You look awful!" Gary meowed weakly and drowsily. "Where's SpongeBob?" Mindy asked Gary. Gary meowed his answer. Mindy gasped again, "He's at the Krusty Krab 2? Oh no! I hope he's alright. Come on, Gary." She picked up Gary and placed him on the carriage. She cracked her whips and quickly headed for the Krusty Krab 2.

Mindy arrived quickly and gasped at the sight of the two Krusty Krabs. Both were heavily damaged and robot remains were scattered. Mindy shook her head with disbelief and fear. She swam quickly toward the Krusty Krab 2, the less damaged and more likely of the two Krusty Krabs to have SpongeBob. She looked inside to see tables and barrels everywhere on the floor. The windows were mostly intact, except for the front doors where the windows were shattered. Mindy called, "SpongeBob?" SpongeBob heard her call. He was still scared to come out of the office. Mindy opened the kitchen door. The back door was open with the remains from the three robots SpongeBob destroyed resting on the outside. Mindy then tried the office. She noticed the office door was locked. SpongeBob pulled his spatula out in case a robot was trying to break in. He tip-toed towards the office door. "SpongeBob? Are you in there?" Mindy shouted through the door. SpongeBob called back, "Mindy?" He put his spatula back in his back pocket and opened the office door to reveal Mindy.

Mindy looked at SpongeBob. He looked very fearful and worn out. He also had singe marks on his body from the explosions from the robots, and he smelled bad because of the dumpster he hid in. She hugged him, "Oh, SpongeBob! Thank goodness you're still alive!" SpongeBob hugged back, "I thought I was the only one left in Bikini Bottom! What's going on? Why are you here?" Mindy frowned, "This is awful, SpongeBob. The robots aren't just in Bikini Bottom, but all over the ocean." She took out her shell computer and opened it, "New Kelp City, Rock Bottom, Bass Vegas, Barnacle Bay, Kelp Forest, Trout Town, every town in the sea is under attack!" SpongeBob gasped, "What can we do?" Mindy shook her head, "I don't know, and that's not the worst part. My father is no longer king of the sea." SpongeBob gasped again and shook with fear, "If Neptune isn't king anymore, who is?" Mindy answered by showing him the scene in progress. It showed Plankton with the crown on his head, laughing evilly. SpongeBob screamed, "PLANKTON?! HE'S KING OF THE SEA NOW?!" Mindy replied, "Yes, and he is keeping my father, all the palace guards, Patrick, Squidward and Mr. Krabs as prisoners in his dungeon. He built a palace called Planktopolis 2 far from here. It's about a five to seven-day walk depending on how quickly you travel and amount of rest you get each night. It's also located near a dormant volcano." She showed the prisoners, all frowning with almost no hope left in them that anyone can save them. Then she showed a metal castle with a large volcano in the background. SpongeBob shook his head, "I don't know what to do, Mindy. Plankton has my friends and robots are everywhere!" Mindy placed an arm on his shoulder. "I know, but I guess you don't have a choice. You have to go to Plankton's palace and restore my father's place as king. Is there anyone left that can help you?" SpongeBob thought for a second and nodded, "I have one friend, but I haven't seen her since I returned from Shell City. Can't you come and help us?" Mindy shook her head, "Unfortunately, I can't help. I barely escaped after the royal palace was taken over. I bet Plankton's after me right now. I'll stay here and take care of Gary and help evacuate whoever is left here." SpongeBob nodded understandingly. He thought to himself, _Now I have to see Sandy. Hopefully she doesn't kick me out._ SpongeBob sighed, "Okay, I'm ready to beat Plankton, kinda." Mindy smiled and hugged SpongeBob, "Good luck, SpongeBob. Now it's not just Bikini Bottom, but the whole sea, and maybe even the world, that needs you. You're our last hope." SpongeBob gulped at her words. Mindy left, riding away with Gary sleeping on the carriage, leaving SpongeBob alone to take in everything he was just told.

SpongeBob stopped when he spotted Sandy's treedome. He sighed. What if Sandy refused to help him? He then remembered Squidward's advice. He thought to himself aloud, "This is my first time seeing her in so long. I'm not leaving until she agrees to join me. I can't do this alone." He ran towards the treedome.

Sandy was working on her last experiment before her bosses finally give her a much needed break. She was exhausted and bored. She never stepped out of the treedome in over a month. When she heard knocks on her door, she growled, "What in tarnation? Who is visiting me now? Can't they see I'm busy finishing something?!" She flung open the door, inhaling so she can yell at the unwanted visitor to get out and tell them that she was busy. When she found out that SpongeBob, the one person she wanted to see the most, was the visitor, she sighed frustratingly. "What do you want SpongeBob? Can't you see I'm busy?" SpongeBob wanted to answer right away, but he noticed something different about Sandy. He just couldn't explain it. She didn't look different, but he sensed something different about her. He just couldn't stop looking at her. Sandy was getting more frustrated that SpongeBob wasn't answering her question. She shouted, "SPONGEBOB!" SpongeBob broke his trance and answered, "Sandy, I know you're busy, but I need you now more than ever before." Sandy rolled her eyes, "You said that so many times before, SpongeBob. What makes you think I will believe you this time?" SpongeBob explained, "Sandy, the entire sea is in trouble! Robots are everywhere! Plankton is now the king of the sea! Bikini Bottom is destroyed! You're the last person that can help me!" Sandy sighed in disbelief. She thought, _Is he THAT desperate to see me?_ She crossed her arms, "SpongeBob, that is the craziest story I've ever heard from you. How do you expect me to believe all that? And even if it IS true, why don't you ask Patrick? Ya'll make quite the duo." SpongeBob shook his head, "The robots captured him. They captured Squidward and Mr. Krabs as well! They also took the Krabby Patty formula!" Sandy shook her head, still skeptical of SpongeBob's story. She said as calmly as she could, "SpongeBob, as much as I'd love to help, I'm busy. I promise, after I finish this experiment, I can finally hang out with you. So can you please get out so I can finish?"

SpongeBob sighed. He had one more thing to say to her, and maybe it can force her to join him on this journey whether she believed it or not. It was a long shot but he really did need her. "I guess I was right. Maybe we aren't friends anymore." Sandy's ears flew up upon hearing this. She thought, _Did he just say that?_ "SpongeBob," she asked slowly, in total disbelief that someone as optimistic as SpongeBob actually said something so negative, "Did you just say what I thought you just said?" SpongeBob repeated, "I said maybe we aren't friends anymore." He tried to make it sound as convincing as possible, but deep down, he meant it truthfully. He realized that this was their chance to revive their friendship. He took the chance, "Sandy, we.. haven't seen nor hung out with each other in months. I haven't seen you since I came back. Come with me. Please! This is our chance to be best friends again, and I can't survive this quest without you."

Sandy took everything in. On one hand she really wanted to finish this experiment. Her job depended on it. On the other hand, she really needed a break, and she knew SpongeBob was right. A journey like this can heal their friendship. She also believed that her friendship with SpongeBob was slowly fading away. Sandy looked at SpongeBob again. He was kneeling as if begging. A tear rolled down his cheek. Sandy sighed, "Okay, I'll go. You're lucky I readjusted my suit for long journeys and quests in case I ever had to." SpongeBob stood up and smiled widely. Sandy finally agreed to go on the journey. Sandy grabbed her suit. It looked the same as her usual suit. She showed him new designs she made. "This suit has a lot of what I need. I added five backup air helmets in case one breaks on the way, a flusher obviously to drain water out of my suit, and an extra compartment for souvenirs and acorns." Sandy then put on her suit, took out a remote control and pressed the button.

She exited the treedome. SpongeBob followed. Her rocket appeared from the ground. SpongeBob stared in awe. Sandy smirked, "I haven't used this in a while. Hop on, SpongeBob." Before either of them could enter, a laser beam hit the rocket, severely damaging it. Sandy growled and shouted, "My rocket! What just happened? Who's responsible for this?!" She and SpongeBob turned around and saw about a dozen robots, mostly small, running or rolling at them. Sandy gasped and turned to SpongeBob, "Well, you weren't lying about the robots." She ran to the other side of her treedome and opened her garage, revealing her car. Before she could climb in, a cannon blast blew the car up. Sandy yelled, "No! You varmints will pay!" Sandy sprinted angrily at the robots. She grabbed a robot and flung it away, resulting in an explosion in the distance. SpongeBob took out his spatula, bent it and tossed it like a boomerang, hitting three robots, slicing them up in different places but destroying them all. The spatula landed back in his hands. He unbent it and ran over to help Sandy. Sandy chopped clean through one robot and karate kicked another. She then chopped another robot's cannon arm off and fired at a small robot rolling at her. She then fired it back at the robot she chopped the arm from. SpongeBob swatted another robot that tried to attack Sandy from behind. One robot remained. It pointed its laser at SpongeBob. Before it could fire, Sandy picked it up by its leg and slammed it to the ground, exploding on impact.

After all the robots were destroyed, SpongeBob and Sandy panted, looked at each other and laughed. Despite the fact that it was the first time they met in so long, they still made a good team. Sandy regained her breathing pattern and sighed, "Looks like we're on foot, SpongeBob." SpongeBob nodded in agreement, then asked, "So what do we do now, Sandy?" Sandy looked at him, "Well, first we gotta find out where these robot varmints came from." SpongeBob remembered from earlier that day that robots appeared from near the Krusty Krab. He was about to talk, but Sandy interrupted, "I recall from your little story that Plankton is the new king of the sea. Maybe that little protozoa is responsible for these robots." SpongeBob thought, _Wow. She figured it out already.._

SpongeBob and Sandy made their way to the Chum Bucket, careful not to attract too much attention from the robots that were busy causing chaos and destruction throughout Bikini Bottom. They stopped and gasped when they heard a weapon lock and load behind them, followed by a robotic monotone voice, "Destroy SpongeBob." Three large robots with a sword arm and Gatling Gun were aiming at SpongeBob and Sandy's heads. SpongeBob pulled out his spatula while Sandy put her karate gloves on. They both made a karate stance. Two of the three robots charged with their sword arms while the third stayed back and opened fire at the duo. Sandy took cover from the hail of bullets behind a large rock while SpongeBob shielded his face with his spatula and anticipated the path of the bullets so he can use his pores to dodge them. He knocked down one robot and stabbed his spatula through its head. The other charging robot approached Sandy, who kicked through its power core and used its body as a shield from the Gatling Gun. She pushed the robot with all her might, causing it to land on the gun, destroying it in the process. The robot took out its sword and lunged at Sandy, who broke the sword off and sliced the robot in half through the torso. Sandy arrogantly went into a ninja-like stance as SpongeBob walked up to her, "Um, Sandy, what are you doing?" Sandy stood up, "I dunno. I was just in the moment, I guess." She dropped the sword and continued to the Chum Bucket. SpongeBob followed closely.

When the Chum Bucket came into view, Sandy eyed the two muscular guards in the front. SpongeBob tapped her shoulder and smirked, "Now it's my turn to show off, Sandy." Sandy stared at him, holding back a giggle. SpongeBob bent his spatula and threw it like a boomerang. The two guards saw it at the last moment, and the spatula knocked them out before they had any time to react. The spatula promptly made its way back into SpongeBob's hands. Sandy shrugged while SpongeBob burst into laughter. "Well, that worked," Sandy said. She and SpongeBob proceeded to the now unguarded entrance of the Chum Bucket.

SpongeBob and Sandy carefully and stealthily snuck their way through the Chum Bucket restaurant and laboratories. When they burst through the last set of double doors, they saw the Duplicatotron 4000. SpongeBob asked, "So how do we turn this thing off, Sandy?" Sandy cracked her knuckles, "Let me take a look. Cover me and stand guard. I don't want to fight a whole army. SpongeBob took out his spatula and made a karate stance as Sandy opened up the Duplicatotron in an attempt to shut it off. Five minutes passed. SpongeBob was bored since no robots appeared since they entered the Chum Bucket. Sandy was getting frustrated. It surprised her that Plankton managed to outsmart her, and her Texan arrogant side started kicking in. She kicked the Duplicatotron, "Dagnabbit! How does this thing work?!" SpongeBob looked at the machine, and noticed an on/off lever on the side. He snickered and pulled the lever to the 'off' side. The Duplicatotron made a noise and shut off. Sandy looked in shock as SpongeBob found it harder to control his laughter. She looked at him and screamed, "THERE WAS A SWITCH?!" She growled at herself, slapped her helmet and stomped out of the Chum Bucket. SpongeBob fell down, bursting in laughter at Sandy's reaction.

After about a minute of laughter, SpongeBob sauntered out of the Chum Bucket to see Sandy, who was also calmed down. She asked, "How long is this journey gonna be and how far is Plankton's palace?" SpongeBob answered, "Mindy told me that it is about a five to seven-day walk and located near a dormant volcano to the east." Sandy sighed. "Plankton loves making things harder for us," she groaned. Sandy took out a compass and map from her suit and turned to the direction going east. She pointed east, "We gotta go this way. It cuts through Downtown Bikini Bottom, then a lot of uninhabited area. A couple of towns here and there, but that's it. Ready?" SpongeBob, though still a little nervous about this journey, smiled, "I'm ready, Sandy!"

The two started their long journey. When they saw Downtown Bikini Bottom, they both gasped. It was destroyed. All the roads were cracked and filled with craters, and the buildings were toppled and on fire. What was once an active, beautiful city was a ring of fire. Sandy was in total disbelief. She looked at SpongeBob, who looked just as surprised. SpongeBob looked down and sighed sadly. "Sandy, it's happening again." Sandy nodded in agreement, "Yeah. Come on, SpongeBob, before those robots see us." They exited Downtown Bikini Bottom fortunately undetected. Their journey had begun, and it will change their lives more than any other journey before.

**Hope you guys enjoyed! **


	8. Chapter 7: A Deep Conversation

**Chapter 7 ahoy! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I own NO SpongeBob character. I wish I did but it's all wishful thinking.**

**Warning (Kinda): This chapter is emotional, so sensitive readers be prepared. If not, then just enjoy. :P**

Chapter 7: A Deep Conversation

SpongeBob and Sandy were treading through barren underwater desert. It had been two hours since they had last seen civilization. All they ran into since then were patrolling robots, which they defeated with ease. The sun was just about to set. Sandy's tail dragged with exhaustion and SpongeBob was close behind her, deep in thought and boredom. He was thinking about how to catch up with Sandy, and what to do when he confronts Plankton. He also couldn't help but stare at Sandy again. He just couldn't describe her. He wasn't familiar with this feeling. All he knew was that he couldn't stop looking at her. Sandy checked the time on her watch on her wrist under the suit. She read aloud, "6:30." Hearing this, SpongeBob broke his trance in case Sandy got suspicious of his staring.

Sandy turned to SpongeBob, "Might as well camp out now while we still got some light left. Better safe than sorry, right?" SpongeBob nodded as she took a cylindrical pod and a remote control. She pressed the button on the remote control and the pod opened up into a completed tent. She took out two sleeping bags and gave one to SpongeBob. SpongeBob put it in the tent and laid down. Sandy stayed outside and put her sleeping bag on the ground and laid down.

About an hour passed. SpongeBob couldn't sleep, and Sandy never entered the tent. SpongeBob gave up sleeping and crawled out. He saw Sandy, looking up at the starry night sky. Time seemed frozen, because everything was silent except the soft blowing of the underwater current. This was his chance to finally catch up with her. SpongeBob walked quietly to Sandy with his sleeping bag. He laid his sleeping bag on the ground, "Hey, Sandy." Sandy turned and smiled, "Hey, SpongeBob. Can't sleep?" SpongeBob shook his head and laid next to her.

SpongeBob looked at the stars. It was so clear and intriguing. Still looking at the stars, he asked Sandy, "What are you doing, Sandy?" Sandy answered, "Staring at the night sky. I've never seen it so clearly in so long. It reminds me so much of what I always used to do back in Texas. I remember the night before I left to move here. I stared up at the night sky for the longest time, thinking it would be my last time seeing it." Sandy sighed and continued, "I also like to stare at it because I've always wondered what's out there. That's what I love so much about science. It's all about observing." SpongeBob was amazed, "Wow. I always thought that science was all about test tubes and experiments. If it also means looking at stuff, I should be a scientist, too." He burst into laughter. Sandy joined in. They both really missed laughing like this. They stopped after a few moments and smiled at each other. SpongeBob said, "You know, Sandy. Out of all my friends, you're the most fun to talk to." Sandy blushed, flattered. SpongeBob explained, "I mean it, Sandy. Patrick falls asleep after a while, Squidward hardly talks and Mr. Krabs only talks about the Krusty Krab and money. With you, we talk about pretty much everything!" Sandy couldn't help but smile widely at his compliments. She missed his unrivaled kindness. It was no wonder she befriended him so quickly.

It was Sandy's turn to compliment SpongeBob, "Y'know, SpongeBob, ya'll are easily the nicest person that I've ever had the pleasure to meet. You are sweet and friendly to everyone. I mean, the way you've cared about me in the past, the way you offer to help me, the way you always visit me with a smile on your face; I've never imagined meeting anyone so kind and so friendly. You risked your life for me back when we first met, even if you didn't know who or what I was, or where I came from. Ya'll just risked everything to save me. That was the bravest thing I've ever seen anyone do. I doubt even my family would do what you did. Also, the way ya'll introduced me to other Bikini Bottomites and helped them get along with me and become my friends, I just can't thank you enough, SpongeBob. You've done so much for me, even when I feel down." SpongeBob smiled, "Thanks, Sandy." Sandy smiled and continued, "You've been so nice to me that I can't go back to Texas without missin' you. I still get homesick, but that's when I remind myself of what I've got down here. Everything that was given to me down here was thanks to you, SpongeBob. If you didn't do any of that for me, I would've quit and went back to Texas a long time ago. I have a picture of us on my nightstand. Whenever I feel lonesome or homesick, I just look at that picture and smile at the one person who made my life down here a better place." She scooted closer and placed her hand on SpongeBob's. SpongeBob blushed and smiled. Sandy smiled back.

They stared back at the sky. Sandy was deep in thought. She felt bad about her attitude towards him earlier and all those months of kicking him out. She also thought about SpongeBob and how nice he was to her all these years. She suddenly felt guilty about all those times she was mean to him. Without thinking, Sandy whispered, "Sorry." SpongeBob turned, hearing this. He asked, "What are you sorry for, Sandy?" Sandy continued, "I'm sorry for yelling at you earlier. I was just really busy, and I was almost done with my invention. It would have been the last one before my bosses finally gave me a break." SpongeBob curiously asked, "Why were you so busy all these months anyway, Sandy?" Sandy answered, "My bosses told me that I vastly exceeded the other employees of Treedome Enterprises. Then they started giving me the most difficult projects to invent. I had literally no time for anything except to eat and sleep. I had to kick you out, SpongeBob. I'm so sorry. I've felt worse and worse after every time." Sandy's strong character was weakening. SpongeBob sensed this. "It's okay, Sandy. I forgive you. Honestly, all I've been worried about was our friendship," SpongeBob smiled.

Sandy stood up and continued her apology, "It's not okay, SpongeBob! You were always a true friend to me! Ya'll brought flowers and wore a smile on your face every time you visited, and what did I do? I kicked you out, yelled at you, hurt you." Tears formed at Sandy's eyes, surprising SpongeBob. He rarely saw Sandy cry in all their years of friendship. This was a serious issue for her if she cried. He stood up to try to comfort her, but Sandy backed up and continued, "All those times I hurt you! Humiliated you! Laughed at you! I blamed you for everything when it should have been Patrick! I lost trust in you all those times! I participated in a stupid holiday meant to get away from you! I caused so much pain to you all these years! All because I was too stupid to realize how important you are in my life! I don't deserve to be your friend! I'm sorry, SpongeBob! I'm sorry.. I'm sorry... I'm sorry..." Sandy continued saying those two words as she fell to her knees, sobbing. Tears formed in SpongeBob's eyes, feeling her pain and guilt. He never expected Sandy to break down in such a way. Maybe all those months without seeing each other took a toll on her, too. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged tightly. She hugged back and continued crying. He forgave her! He still trusted her! This thought caused Sandy to hug tighter and cry harder. The last time she cried this hard was the day she left for Bikini Bottom. SpongeBob, his voice breaking, assured, "It's okay, Sandy. Everything bad that happened between us was in the past. I've forgiven you all those times. The only thing I was worried about was that our friendship was at stake." Sandy replied, "Me too, SpongeBob. You'll never understand how sorry I am. I never should've treated you this way." SpongeBob let go for a moment to look at her. Tears glided down her cheeks and her lip was quivering. Her breathing was rapid and her heart was beating quickly. She held SpongeBob's shoulders, "I promise, SpongeBob. I promise with my life. After this journey, I will hang out with you for as long as I possibly can. All my time will be dedicated to you and you only." She placed one hand over her heart, "Texan promise." SpongeBob nodded in approval, and gently held Sandy's helmet where her cheeks were. Sandy rested her arms on SpongeBob's shoulders. She removed some of his tears with her thumb. SpongeBob smiled, while Sandy still wore a depressed face. After looking at each other for a while, they pulled closer into another hug. They hadn't hugged in a while before that night, and this one was their most emotionally affectionate hug yet. Sandy's hug expressed apology and regret. SpongeBob's expressed understanding, forgiveness, and burning love and passion. All the stress and guilt that had eaten at them during all those months without seeing each other were finally lifted off their shoulders. They hugged tighter as they both silently cried in each other's shoulders. They could also feel each other's hearts beating at the same time. Their friendship was officially restored.

**I hope you all enjoyed this emotional chapter! I'd like to note that this chapter basically states my viewpoint of Spandy. Simply put, I say they are great and possibly ideal friends that can potentially sprout into a romantic relationship. In all honesty, I won't be too bothered if Spandy doesn't become canon in the actual show, but it'll be most appropriate to let it happen in the finale because love always sprouts in the finale of practically every show. That being said, stay tuned for the next chapter coming soon!**


	9. Chapter 8: Sandy's Nightmare

**Thanks for reading my story up to this point to whoever is reading this! I appreciate it. And Nesquik, what you're seeing here is the finish product after editing, fixing errors, adding/deleting scenes, etc.**

**Anyways, here's ****Chapter 8! Enjoy!**

Chapter 8: Sandy's Nightmare

After their emotional conversation, SpongeBob and Sandy decided to rest up for the rest of their journey. SpongeBob fell asleep quickly, but Sandy was still awake. She thought about their conversation, and SpongeBob in general. She stared at him sleeping. She opened herself up to him in such a way. She only just realized how much he meant to her, and now she felt something warm and fuzzy inside her. She had a comforting feeling in her heart, and her breath sped up just by looking at him. Was this love? Was this joy? She was not sure. Her scientific mind put it aside as a hormonal phase that she would most likely get over, but her heart told her otherwise. All she knew for sure was that she kinda liked this feeling.

All of a sudden, she felt guilty. She should have told him about her problem. She could not sleep because she was afraid to. Ever since SpongeBob saved her from Plankton, Sandy was having these nightmares every couple of nights. Every nightmare got progressively scarier and scarier. Despite her fear, Sandy knew she had no choice. She had a long journey ahead of her, and a dangerous journey at that; if she did not rest, her and SpongeBob's lives would be at stake, and they may fail their quest to bring peace to the sea. Sandy laid back down. She subconsciously wrapped her arms around SpongeBob in a close hug and fell asleep.

Sandy woke up, but nothing was around her. No tent, no SpongeBob, no desert, nothing. She sat up and looked around. Everything was dark. She gulped. It was happening again. Suddenly, she heard a whisper in the atmosphere, in HER voice. It chanted, "All... hail... Plankton." Sandy gasped as the whisper repeated itself, "All.. hail... Plankton." The darkness suddenly turned bright white. Sandy shielded her eyes. When she opened them back up, she saw that she was in a desert on land. Her air helmet went away, leaving just her air suit. The whispering continued, "All. Hail. Plankton." It was slowly speeding up and steadily getting louder. Sandy then gasped as she saw three hooded figures in pitch black robes in the distance. They slowly approached her and chanted, "All hail Plankton." The desert faded back into total darkness. The whisper and the figures coincided their chant as they sped up and got louder. Sandy tried to back away, but her back hit some sort of barrier, keeping her in place. The three figures reached forward, trying to grab Sandy. She yelled and tried to put up a fight, but she was too scared and weak for her moves to be effective enough. One figure stopped and the other two blocked her attacks and grabbed her arms. Sandy tried to free herself from their grasp by kicking and struggling but to no avail. The figure that stood back reached into its robe and pulled something long and sharp out. The chants got louder and faster. Sandy gasped as tears escaped her eyes. Her breathing reached its peak and she felt like she was having a heart attack. The figure was holding a machete.

SpongeBob woke up to Sandy shaking next to him. SpongeBob smiled and giggled, thinking Sandy was trying to tickle him to wake him up. He turned around to tell her he was awake, but he realized that she was not trying to wake him up. His expression went from amusement to concern and worry as he saw what was happening to her. Sandy was thrashing wildly, sweating and hyperventilating. Tears escaped her eyes and she kicked and screamed in her sleep. SpongeBob gasped and started shaking her in an attempt to wake her up, but little did he realize that his shaking made her situation worse.

Sandy's nightmare was falling apart. The chants sounded close to shouts, "ALL HAIL PLANKTON! ALL HAIL PLANKTON!" The figure with the machete was feet from her. She screamed and sobbed loudly for mercy. She just wanted to be put out of her misery. She flinched, not wanting to see or feel the expected pain. Everything suddenly went quiet. The figure was inches from Sandy, holding the machete in its hand. Sandy still didn't look at her would-be murderer, crying silently and hoping that everything would just end. She couldn't take it anymore. Then the figure with the machete, pulling its machete back and aiming straight at her heart, chillingly and frighteningly said, "All hail Plankton." The machete swung straight at her heart.

SpongeBob was still shaking Sandy, "Sandy! Wake up! It's just a nightmare!" He then remembered the news report about nightmares; that Bikini Bottomites had been having these nightmares since he came back from Shell City. Sandy must have been one of those Bikini Bottomites. All of a sudden, just when SpongeBob turned around, Sandy shot up and screamed at the top of her lungs. She burst through the tent and knelt down a few feet in front of it. She went on all fours and started sobbing loudly. SpongeBob jumped at her actions then called to her, scared and worried, "S-Sandy?" SpongeBob looked out of the tent slowly, spotting Sandy kneeling, crying silently. Before he could react, Sandy suddenly turned, ran into SpongeBob's arms and continued sobbing.

Sandy shouted from on his shoulder, "Oh, Spongy! I should have told you!" SpongeBob hugged back, "It's okay now, Sandy. It was just a nightmare." Sandy let go of the hug but still held his shoulders. She shouted back, "You don't understand, SpongeBob! Ever since ya'll came back, I've been having these nightmares. They got worse and worse every time! I just want it all to end!" They hugged each other again. Sandy started crying again and all SpongeBob could do was comfort her.

Meanwhile, Mindy took shelter in SpongeBob's pineapple. She had been taking care of Gary, who was sleeping better since she started caring for him. She sat up and looked outside the window. There was nothing but debris and craters. She sighed and thought aloud, _This is a nightmare. How can this happen again?_ She hoped SpongeBob was alright. She recalled that he brought a female friend along to help him on this journey, but she didn't know SpongeBob's female friends. The only female friend she could think from the top of her head was Mr. Krabs' daughter, Pearl, who SpongeBob got along decently with, but Mindy evacuated her to Oyster Stadium the night before.

Mindy decided to look around SpongeBob's house to investigate who SpongeBob brought along on his journey. She wanted to make sure whoever he chose could help him enough. She went up to SpongeBob's bedroom. There, she saw pictures around the walls. They consisted of childhood pictures of him and various pictures of Patrick, Squidward, Mr. Krabs, and Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy, but there was no picture of his female friend. Mindy then noticed a photo album on SpongeBob's nightstand. On the cover was SpongeBob and some sort of furry creature in a space suit. The title read, "SpongeBob Squarepants and Sandy Cheeks: Friends Forever." SpongeBob must have put it there to reminisce the good times he and Sandy had throughout their friendship. He looked in that album every night since he got back from Shell City. Mindy found the friend she was looking for, but could not make heads or tails of who or what she was. She knew that the friend was not from the sea. Curious of their friendship status, Mindy opened the album. It contained many pictures of SpongeBob and Sandy's many unforgettable adventures and memories. One picture was of them at Goo Lagoon. Another showed them playing zero-gravity golf on the moon. On the next page, there was a picture of them in red band outfits holding Squidward and his trophy high at the Bubble Bowl. The last page showed them sitting next to each other watching the sun set over the horizon on a hill in Jellyfish Fields.

Mindy smiled. She didn't realize how strong their friendship was. It was almost as if they loved each other. She wondered.. Before Mindy could think deeper about their relationship, she heard an explosion coming from downstairs. She then heard Gary yelping with fear. The ground shook. Mindy quickly swam down the stairs and spotted small and medium robots, all sent to capture her. Mindy backed up until she spotted Gary getting loaded into an armored truck. Gary was meowing out in despair to Mindy, hoping she can rescue him. Mindy quickly dodged the attacks and lunged for Gary, but a robot swung its metal arm at her, knocking her out of the way. The armored truck drove away. Mindy screamed, "NOO! Gary!" A robot suddenly grabbed her arms and restrained her. Mindy thrashed and swam towards the ceiling in attempt to break its grip, but it was no use. The robot blasted the ceiling and activated its jets. After lifting off towards the surface to stay subtle, Mindy took one last glance at the now destroyed pineapple home. Mindy closed her eyes and sighed. Mindy thought, _SpongeBob, it's all up to you now. I hope this Sandy can help you through this._

**I hope you enjoyed! Chapter 9 will be up soon! Stay tuned!**


	10. Chapter 9: A Long Walk

**Well, here's chapter 9! Hope you enjoy this more or less filler chapter!**

Chapter 9: A Long Walk

An hour passed. After calming down and packing everything up, SpongeBob and Sandy continued their journey. They were sweaty and starving. They were both silent, deep in thought about their conversation the night before. SpongeBob was also thinking about his gift as Pure Spirit and his true love. Though he knew that he might not have a true love, he was still positive that she was out there. He thought about Sandy and how she opened up to him last night. She cared for him so much. Not to mention that he had felt different around Sandy lately by his frequent trances since they started their journey. SpongeBob put everything together and came up with one thought, _Could Sandy be my true love, or does she want to stay as just best friends? _He sighed, _This whole true love thing is so confusing._ Sandy was thinking about SpongeBob. She recalled all the good memories with him and their conversation the night before. She could deny it no longer. She was in love with SpongeBob. Butterflies filled her stomach at the thought, but she started to enjoy the feeling. She glanced at him and blushed. She couldn't help it. He sure was cute when he wore a straight face. She looked away, hoping SpongeBob didn't notice her staring.

Sandy checked the time; it was already three in the afternoon. SpongeBob wanted to break the silence. He tapped her arm, "Um, Sandy?" Sandy continued walking, still deep in thought. SpongeBob tapped her again, only slightly harder, "Sandy?" Sandy shook her head violently, breaking her trance, "Yeah, SpongeBob?" SpongeBob suddenly felt slight anxiety, but tried his best to keep cool, "Wanna play a little game with me? It's too quiet here." Sandy nodded, "Uh, sure, SpongeBob. Whatcha got in mind?" SpongeBob smiled, "Let's play I Spy! Uh, I'll start first." SpongeBob took a goofy stance, "I spy with my little eye, something, uh, blue." Sandy held back a giggle. She missed SpongeBob's childish side. Sometimes it caused her to reminisce her good ol' days as a kid. She looked around, "Um.." She knew that the ocean was too obvious. She looked at SpongeBob's body. All she saw that was blue were the lines on his socks, and his breathtaking irises on his eyes. She started staring at them, falling in a trance of her own. SpongeBob stared back, confused. He thought, _What is she looking at? Is it something I'm wearing?_ SpongeBob looked down at his clothes. He saw nothing too noticeable. All he saw was some dirt from laying on the ground and singe marks from his fights at the Krusty Krab 2. "Sandy?" He waved his hands in her line of sight. She continued staring. SpongeBob started snapping his fingers, "Sandy? What are you looking at? Are you still playing?" Sandy broke her trance when he snapped. She lightly blushed, "Uh, sorry SpongeBob. I was just thinking about the nightmare is all. Um.. Is it the lines on your socks?" SpongeBob smirked, "Nope!" Sandy smiled and held back another giggle. She checked her suit. There were blue lines on her suit. Maybe that was what he was spying. She took the chance, "Is it the lines on my suit?" SpongeBob held back a laugh, "Which one, Sandy?" Sandy rolled her eyes, amused. She thought, _That SpongeBob, making things harder for his amusement._ She asked, "Is it the one on my left arm?" SpongeBob answered, "No!" Sandy was getting slightly frustrated. She hated losing, especially against SpongeBob. She asked, "Um, is it the one on my right arm?" SpongeBob laughed, "Yes!" Sandy gave him a funny look and sighed, "You love making things tougher on me, huh?" She joined in on the laughter, "I'd love to play more, but we got ground to cover." SpongeBob sighed. Even though he wanted to play more with Sandy, he knew she was right. They had to gain as much ground as possible. They both walked faster and continued with the journey.

SpongeBob stopped, spotting buildings in the distance. Sandy stared at him, confused about why SpongeBob stopped. She turned to the direction he was looking, and she saw the buildings in the distance. They looked at each other and suddenly held their stomachs in hunger. Neither ate since they left Bikini Bottom, so they started walking faster. They then noticed that the buildings looked abandoned and rundown. It appeared as an old Western-like town. A stone sign with faded words stood a few feet from the two. It read, "Welcome to Historic Gullible Gabriel's Gulch!" SpongeBob read the sign and looked at Sandy. Sandy was hit by nostalgia, "Wowee! I've never been to an authentic abandoned Western town in years! It reminds me of those classic Western movies I watched as a kid." SpongeBob was amazed. Sandy tapped his shoulder, "Well, it's best we continue. Let's hope there's an active town nearby so we can eat." SpongeBob nodded in agreement and walked forward.

Dennis and the Strangler were on the other side of the town. Plankton briefed them the day before by telling them that Gullible Gabriel's Gulch was one of five towns that cut straight through the path to Planktopolis 2. Flats was in one town, Robo-Commander was in another, Manray was in a third, a huge robot army in the fourth town, and Dennis and the Strangler in the fifth. Through Dennis's walkie-talkie Plankton's voice was heard, "Status report, Dennis." Dennis took the walkie-talkie out of his pocket, "Nothing yet, Boss." Plankton then commanded, "Stay alert. Squarepants should be there soon. It has been a day since he was last seen, so he must be on the way. Spread out and patrol the area. Over and out." Dennis put his walkie-talkie away and turned to the Strangler. He ordered, "Tiny wants us to split. Look for a good spot to hide in and wait for my signal. When I see the sponge, I'll ambush him and you come from behind and finish him off. Got it?" The Strangler nodded affirmatively and walked off. Dennis went the other direction and started looking around.

Plankton tossed his walkie-talkie aside. Karen, who was next to him, informed, "Plankton, this just in, Neptune's daughter is captured and sent straight into the dungeon." Plankton smirked, "Perfect! This plan, Karen. This is the one! I can't be stopped!" Karen interrupted, "I wouldn't say that." She showed on her monitor of SpongeBob and Sandy creeping around Gullible Gabriel's Gulch. Plankton sat down and relaxed, "Relax, honey. I expected this. I got the Strangler and Dennis patrolling the area. They won't get far. Even if they did, they won't beat me." He began to laugh evilly until a bug landed in his throat. He coughed and wheezed for a while until the bug was coughed up. Plankton grumbled angrily, "I can't believe I almost got bested by a bug."

Patrick was asleep on the cell floor. Squidward was in the same cell, pacing. He was thinking about trying to escape, but he forgot about his brief plan when he heard the cell door opening and shielded his eyes at the light. The guard pushed a figure into the cell, "Oy, prisoners! You got a little roommate." Squidward rubbed his eyes to get used to the light and checked who the prisoner was. Mindy looked in her cell and spotted Squidward looking at her and Patrick, still sleeping. Squidward asked, "Princess Mindy?" Mindy sighed, "Yeah. It's me." All of a sudden, hearing her voice, Patrick shot up and yelled, "MINDY?!" Mindy jumped then calmed down quickly realizing it was Patrick. She sighed, "Yeah, it's me Patrick." Patrick gave a love-struck sigh, and Mindy couldn't take the hint. Squidward gave Patrick an annoyed look, then turned back to Mindy, "Let me guess. You sent SpongeBob to save us all again." Mindy nodded, "Yes. He's at it again." Squidward sighed, "Hopefully he actually takes this seriously. Is anyone with him?" Mindy took a moment to guess. She answered, "SpongeBob mentioned someone. I'm pretty sure it's someone named Sandy. I don't know who or what she is, but hopefully she's capable in helping SpongeBob save us all." Squidward questioned, "Why? What's going on out there?" Mindy sighed, "Robots took over every town and city in the ocean. SpongeBob is on his way here as we speak to restore my father's throne." Squidward gasped, "You mean my home is destroyed?!" Mindy nodded, "Pretty much everything in Bikini Bottom is destroyed now." Squidward gasped, "Oh, all my paintings! My cozy bed! MY CLARINET! NOO!" He burst into tears.

Suddenly, Mindy heard a voice coming from another cell, "Mindy?" Mindy gasped, "Daddy?" She yelled, "Where are you?" Neptune turned from the other cell, "Mindy, are you okay? Are you hurt?" Mindy yelled back, "Yeah, Daddy, I'm fine." Neptune sighed with relief, then asked, "What's happening out there, daughter?" Mindy answered, "The robots occupied and destroyed every town in the ocean, Father. I sent SpongeBob to save us again." Neptune sighed. Never had he thought this would happen to the world around him. He was also hopeful that SpongeBob would save them all again.

**Chapter 10 will be up soon! Stay tuned!**


	11. Chapter 10: Old Enemies

**It took a bit, but here's Chapter 10! Enjoy!**

Chapter 10: Old Enemies

SpongeBob and Sandy stopped in front of a large ranch in the outskirts of the town. It was faded red and consisted of multiple barns and fences. Sandy guessed it was about sixty to a hundred acres at least. A sign was in the front that read, "Rabid Randy's Ranch." It looked like it had been abandoned for decades. Despite the fact that there was no sign of life anywhere, SpongeBob and Sandy could not help but feel something. The atmosphere around the ranch felt threatening and frightening. SpongeBob gulped. Sandy sensed his fear and felt slight fright as well. Without thinking, Sandy scooted closer to SpongeBob, grabbing his hand to make sure he was safe. SpongeBob silently gasped and blushed, glancing at Sandy, who looked ahead with determination and a bit of hidden fear. Sandy gripped tighter to signify that everything would be alright. SpongeBob looked at her with an assuring smile. He felt stronger with Sandy around. They entered the broken front white fence gate.

Dennis paced behind one of the barns. The Strangler waited in the shadows of a nearby farmhouse. Dennis sensed that they were no longer alone in the area. He peered behind the barn and spotted two small figures in the distance. One looked like a square figure holding a taller figure in the hand. Dennis pulled out his walkie-talkie and whispered, "Sir, there's movement in the distance." Plankton, who looked like he was about to fall asleep, sat up quickly and asked, "Is it SpongeBob?" Dennis squinted at the two figures through his shades in an attempt to make out their body shapes. He replied, "Could be. I can make out the square body. There's another person holding on to him, though. It looks like it has a see-through head." Plankton thought for a second, then snapped and commanded, "Could be the squirrel. Hit two birds with one stone for me and take care of them both. Eliminate the sponge and subdue the squirrel and bring her to me. She can prove quite useful to me." Dennis nodded affirmatively, "Roger Sir, Hitman out." He put the walkie-talkie away and stealthily snuck his way to the Strangler. "They're here. Stay put," Dennis whispered. The Strangler nodded.

Dennis then quickly walked towards SpongeBob and Sandy, who were both walking slowly and carefully, checking every corner and building for any other signs of life. They turned one more corner and spotted Dennis, right in front of them, smirking and cracking his knuckles. SpongeBob screamed and hid behind Sandy, who put up a brave front and made a karate stance. Dennis smirked, "We meet again, kid." Sandy shouted, "Who are you and what is your business here?!" Dennis took off his shades, revealing a bloodshot eye and an eyepatch. He greeted coldly, "Name's Dennis. I came here to finish what I started. My job is to kill the sponge, but it seems to me that he brought his little girlfriend to defend him." Sandy stopped, her train of thought completely lost after hearing the term 'girlfriend.' She blushed, rubbed her helmet and giggled like a love-struck schoolgirl. Dennis laughed and shoved her out of the way, revealing a cowering SpongeBob. Dennis picked him up by the throat and sneered, "Now to finish you off, Squarepants, once and for all!" SpongeBob struggled to breathe, choking by Dennis's hands. Sandy got up, watching Dennis choke SpongeBob to death. Sandy ran as fast as she can and tackled Dennis, causing him to let go of SpongeBob. "GO!" She yelled at him, "Go find somewhere to hide! I'll take care of this here varmint!" SpongeBob nodded and ran to find a hiding spot.

He looked around for a good hiding spot and found a dark corner just far enough from the action taking place. SpongeBob ran to the corner and panted. Suddenly, two large, dirty green hands grabbed his throat. The Strangler came out to the light and laughed maniacally, "Now for some sweet, sweet revenge, tattletale!"

Sandy fell to the ground, wrestling Dennis who was trying to pin her down, but he struggled due to her air suit softening his blows. Sandy pushed him off of her. She panted as Dennis got up and dusted himself off, coughing from the sand that filled the air. He snarled, "You little rodent!" He lunged towards Sandy, but Sandy jumped over him and landed on his back. She climbed atop his head and grabbed it by his hat. She used her massive strength to slam Dennis's entire body on the ground. She landed and took a moment to breathe.

Suddenly, she heard another person laughing maniacally, and it wasn't SpongeBob's laugh. She looked around and saw the Strangler, choking SpongeBob to death. By SpongeBob's expression, Sandy could tell that he didn't have much time left. She screamed, "SPONGEBOB, NOOO!" She frantically sprinted as fast as her legs could take her, hoping and praying mentally that she was not too late. SpongeBob made a last effort to pry the Strangler's arms away, but he was too weak to make a move. He started seeing light at the end of some sort of tunnel. The light was creeping closer and closer after every second that passed. He lowered his arms and closed his eyes, giving up and accepting his fate. He made one last forced exhale. Sandy tackled the Strangler away, causing him to drop SpongeBob, who laid still. Sandy performed a heavy blow on the Strangler, disfiguring his face and temporarily knocking him out.

Sandy panted for a second before turning to SpongeBob. He laid still with indentations around his neck after being strangled. Sandy fell to her knees at SpongeBob. She gasped in disbelief and shook her head. "No…. No," Sandy whispered. She placed her helmet on SpongeBob's chest and laid her ears as close to him as possible, hoping to hear a pulse. Fortunately to her, she heard faint heartbeats. SpongeBob was still alive. Sandy made a heavy sigh of relief as she clutched her heart, breathing deeply. _Now to get him outta here_, Sandy thought.

Before she could pick SpongeBob up, Sandy stopped as she heard a growl from behind. She turned around and saw Dennis, who took off his shades and clutched the knife that he wore around his neck. His boots revealed spikes on the bottom. Sandy gasped after seeing the spikes. He yelled, "I AM NOT FAILING THIS TIME!" He sprinted towards Sandy. She dodged out of the way, but Dennis kept running. Sandy realized that Dennis wasn't after her, but SpongeBob. Sandy gasped and started sprinting after him. Dennis was about to finish SpongeBob off by impaling him with his spikes, but Sandy drop kicked him square in the stomach. Dennis, who was on one leg due to his stomp attempt, lost his balance and fell to the ground. He got up and growled, "Listen, missy! If you continue putting up a fight for that stupid sponge, you'll be joining him six feet under!" Sandy showed a death glare at Dennis. Fire burned through her eyes. Dennis roared and lunged towards Sandy, who jumped to eye contact and uppercut him, sending him into the air. Sandy then performed a series of aerial karate attacks, finishing with a slow-motion kick in the stomach, causing an explosion to occur. Dennis screamed in pain as he crashed into the ground, creating a shockwave on the ground on impact.

Sandy landed and walked towards Dennis with pure rage and hatred filling her being. She panted heavily and angrily at him, waiting for him to get up so she could knock him back down. Dennis was in a large crater, groaning with the unbearable pain from his stomach and back. Sandy slid down the crater and stepped on Dennis's chest. Dennis tried to punch Sandy off of him, but she swatted his arm away and knocked him down again. Sandy picked up Dennis's head and warned, "Nobody, and I mean NOBODY, messes with my SpongeBob while I'm around." She kneed Dennis's head, knocking him out cold.

Sandy stood up and stared at Dennis. Her ears shot up after hearing a noise from behind. The Strangler stood up and groaned, "Oh, my head! What just happened?" He spotted Sandy hopping off of Dennis's unconscious body. The Strangler noticed her walking towards him angrily. Remembering what she did to him, the Strangler gasped and started backing away until he hit a barn wall. He started shaking as Sandy stopped a few feet in front of him, growling and showing another death glare. Fearfully, the Strangler confessed, "Look, lady, I was only a hired hand! Plankton hired me! I only did this to get revenge on the sponge for turning me in!" The Strangler realized that what he just said did not help him one bit. Sandy clenched her fists tighter in rage. She didn't know who the Strangler was nor did she care. She saw him almost murder SpongeBob right before her very eyes, and that was enough for her not to show mercy. Thinking this, Sandy growled more angrily than before, causing the Strangler to flinch and scream, almost similarly to the way Sandy did in her nightmare. Sandy glared, "You almost killed SpongeBob. Why would I show mercy to a heartless, evil, no-good varmint like you?" She pushed the Strangler into the barn, breaking the wooden wall and causing the barn to collapse on the Strangler. The last thing Sandy heard from him were groans of pain from under the debris.

Sandy ran back to SpongeBob, who was still out cold by the Strangler. Sandy started shaking him, "SpongeBob! Wake up! We gotta get out of here before those two wake up!" SpongeBob groaned and held his neck. He opened his eyes and squinted as the light above blinded him. He saw Sandy and thought for a second that he was dead and was seeing an angel. Slowly, he asked himself, "What happened? Where am I? Am I dead?" Beaming, Sandy shook her head, "No, SpongeBob. You're alive. I was so worried! I thought you were gone!" SpongeBob smiled and looked around. He saw Dennis unconscious and looked back at Sandy, who smiled back. He complimented, "Sandy, did you beat Dennis and the Tattletale Strangler all by yourself? I always realized how super strong you are. Mind teaching me some lessons?" SpongeBob started laughing. Sandy blushed and laughed along. Despite the fact he almost died, SpongeBob still found room for humor. Sandy picked SpongeBob up by the hand and the two continued their journey.

The sun went down soon after. In their tent, Sandy was rubbing SpongeBob's sides where the indentations from the Strangler's hands were still visible. SpongeBob looked back at Sandy and smiled. She saved his life again. He realized that he forgot to thank her. He did so, "I forgot to say thank you for saving my life, Sandy. I'd be done for if it weren't for you." Sandy smiled, "It's no problem, SpongeBob. I bet ya'll would've done the same thing to me." The two were silent for a while after. They now knew that their journey was dangerous, and would get worse as they continued. Their lives were potentially at stake. SpongeBob was the first to speak, "Sandy, I'm getting worried because our journey will get crazier as we push on in this journey." "Yeah, that's true," Sandy agreed. She then yawned, "Well, I guess we should sleep now. We can gain more ground if we get up early, and we'll have enough energy to help each other out when we get in trouble." SpongeBob nodded and laid down. Sandy did the same. She was still scared about the nightmares, but she needed to rest after everything she did that day.

SpongeBob got up. He was too deep in thought to sleep. He stared at Sandy. She slept soundly and silently, so he assumed that she wasn't having a nightmare that night. Sandy saved his life earlier. He never realized how much Sandy would do to make sure he was okay. He then remembered the good times they had throughout the years. Sandy was the only person he knew that impressed him to no end. Her strength, her beauty, her skills, her talents, her intelligence, basically everything about Sandy impressed him. He added up all these aspects and memories. He questioned himself, "Am I in love with Sandy? Is she my true love? Is it fate that brought us on this journey?" He laid down and contemplated these possibilities. He was still unsure about everything. According to the true love scroll from the royal palace, he had no true love, but on the other hand, he noticed something different about Sandy. Also, the way she apologized and opened herself up to him the night before. All of this should not be coincidence, but he was still a little skeptical. He fell asleep before he could think anymore on the subject.

Plankton shouted into his walkie-talkie, "Dennis? Dennis! Do you copy? DENNIS!" He slammed the walkie-talkie aside in frustration. The squirrel was tougher than he thought. He called for Robo-Commander, who appeared into the throne room. Plankton ordered, "Robo-Commander, I'm changing your position. I want you to meet Flats at Sardine Sauna. I'm going to be sending robots to your current position at Marlin Marina. If the plan goes perfectly, the two should not make it past Marlin Marina, and the robots should rendezvous with you with the squirrel in custody." Robo-Commander nodded its head and walked away to Sardine Sauna. Plankton said indirectly to SpongeBob and Sandy, "Let's see you two make it past these forces!." He laughed evilly as large robots with laser eyes and machine gun arms rolled past him.

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter and stay tuned for the next! :)**


	12. Chapter 11: Bullying the Bully

**Chapter 11 is now here! Enjoy!**

Chapter 11: Bullying the Bully

Sandy woke up early, grateful and fortunate that she did not have a nightmare that night. She sat up and spotted SpongeBob lying next to her, sleeping peacefully. She gently caressed his face, careful not to wake him up and disturb him from his beauty sleep. For some reason, she wondered if he was dreaming about her. Sandy sighed and smiled subconsciously. Never in any of her years underwater would she expect to fall in love with a sea creature. If she were asked that she would fall in love with a sea creature back before she moved underwater, she would have laughed and mocked the thought, but after meeting SpongeBob, she knew. Even when they first met, she knew that SpongeBob was something else. His attitude was unlike any other guy she ever met. It was so.. positive. So happy. So friendly. Despite her tough attitude and strength, she obviously showed a soft spot for SpongeBob. Whenever he got hurt or scared, she would do whatever she could to help and comfort him. They had been friends for fifteen years. Sandy thought, _Was.. Was this inevitable? Were we.. meant to be?_ She shivered at the thought. She was both scared and excited. The problem for Sandy was if SpongeBob also had feelings for her. He was so childish and so immature at times. If he didn't reciprocate his feelings to her, she wouldn't be able to stay underwater out of sheer shame and embarrassment, and she wouldn't be able to show her face in front of SpongeBob ever again. That was the main reason why Sandy had yet to tell SpongeBob her new-found feelings.

Sandy sighed again. All she could do was hope that SpongeBob liked her back. She stepped out of the tent and checked the time on her watch. It was eight in the morning. The light caused by Sandy opening the tent woke SpongeBob up. He yawned and looked around the tent, noticing that Sandy wasn't inside. He crawled out of the tent and looked around. He shielded his eyes at the light and saw Sandy, sitting on a random convenient log, staring in the distance at the split in moss and sand. He heard her sigh. Thinking that she had an issue of some kind to him, SpongeBob called, "Um, Sandy?" Sandy gasped and turned around, "Uh.. Hey, SpongeBob." SpongeBob asked, "What's wrong? Is it something I did yesterday?" Sandy shook her head, "Ya'll did nothing wrong, SpongeBob. I'm just…. reminiscin' the good days when we first became friends." SpongeBob sighed and smiled, "Yeah. Those were the days." SpongeBob then joined Sandy in staring in the distance.

After about half an hour of silence, staring in the distance, and reminiscing their early years of friendship, SpongeBob got up and asked, "So Sandy, where are we headed next?" Sandy answered, "Well, the next town is Moss Angeles. We can stay there to rest and eat for tonight. Problem is we don't know who we'll be facing. Could be robots or strong men or Plankton's commanders. I'm honestly scared… and tired." SpongeBob placed a hand on Sandy's right shoulder, "Me too, Sandy."

Another half hour passed, and SpongeBob and Sandy continued on their journey. While SpongeBob was looking down, still reminiscing his early years, Sandy spotted tall buildings in the distance. Thinking it was a mirage, Sandy wiped her helmet clean and rubbed her eyes, but the figures remained visible and appeared slightly closer to the point where the silhouettes were more pronounced. Sandy gasped, "SpongeBob, look! Moss Angeles!" SpongeBob looked up and gasped. He subconsciously grabbed his stomach in sheer hunger. He and Sandy both started to run for the town. Moments later, they noticed that almost every part of the town was green with moss, staying true to the name of the town. When they entered downtown, SpongeBob and Sandy stopped to rest by a bench. They panted and sat down. Sweat dripped from both of their heads.

They looked around the town. It was also heavily damaged, but it wasn't enough for the townspeople to flee. Burn marks and cracks filled the streets. The once mossy buildings were singed and some of the walls chipped off. People still walked the streets as if nothing happened. Both SpongeBob and Sandy sighed with relief that the city was still active. They looked at each other. Sandy said, "C'mon, SpongeBob. Let's grab a bite first. We haven't eaten much since we left." She grabbed her stomach and groaned hungrily. SpongeBob nodded in agreement, holding his own stomach. They spotted a small restaurant and entered. A few threatening-looking people stared at the two upon entrance. Sandy grabbed SpongeBob's hand without really realizing it. They both took a deep breath and headed in line. They each ordered a double cheeseburger and kelp fries and sat outside next to a café.

They started chowing down on their food. They moaned happily as they ate actual food for the first time since they left Bikini Bottom. Little did they know that someone was spying on them. A couple tables behind the duo, a flat fish with a suit and hat on stared at the two, lifting a newspaper up and down to avoid looking suspicious of being a spy. It was Flats. He squinted angrily at SpongeBob in particular, as if he was his prime target. Suddenly his radio went off, "Flats! Flats, status report!" Flats panicked and tried to conceal the radio. SpongeBob and Sandy stopped eating and turned around. SpongeBob gasped. Sandy looked at him concerned, "What's wrong SpongeBob?" SpongeBob answered, "They forgot the pickles!" Sandy sighed, "Fast food.. It's the same down here as it was in Texas. They forget your order and it ain't worth it in the end." Flats whispered harshly, "Shut up, sir! Targets are right in front of me. Now they're suspecting!" Plankton shouted through the radio, "That's good! Confront them and take care of them!" Flats smirked, "Yes, Sir!" He stormed up to the eating duo and cracked his fists.

While SpongeBob and Sandy were ranting about the pickles, Flats stood behind them, holding a smirk and crunching his fists. Sandy then noticed a tall shadow covering them. She stopped and patted SpongeBob if he noticed. They both turned around and gasped. Flats growled, "We meet again, Squarepants!" SpongeBob screamed. Sandy asked, "Wait, ya'll know this guy?" SpongeBob, shaking, stuttered, "S-Sandy, this is Flats. He tried to ki-kick my butt during boating school." Flats glared, "That's right, and you got the easy way out. Today will be different. I promised revenge, Squarepants! Now you'll get the butt kicking of a lifetime!" Sandy stepped up and growled, "Not while I'm here, varmint! Nobody touches SpongeBob! I'll be the one doin' the butt kicking!" Flats laughed, "Please! You're just a little rodent. How can YOU kick my butt? And why are you defending this scrawny geek of a sponge? You're as pathetic as him." Sandy clenched her fists and started turning red. How dare he insult both her and her secret love. He will pay.

Sandy shouted, "Oh, you're in for it now!" She crunched her fists and punched Flats square in the jaw. Flats backed off in pain. He recovered and growled. He lunged towards Sandy and tackled her to the ground. Sandy tried to push Flats off, but surprisingly, Flats was just as strong as she was. Flats smirked and started punching Sandy's helmet repeatedly with aggression. Sandy grunted after each hit. SpongeBob gasped at the sight. He had half a mind to help her, but he was even more afraid of Flats because he actually had the capability to beat Sandy. SpongeBob took a deep breath. He decided to help Sandy. Friends never abandon friends, and this situation was no exception.

SpongeBob backed up, then sprinted at Flats. Flats successfully broke Sandy's helmet, and was now ruthlessly punching Sandy in the face. SpongeBob managed to nudge Flats away. He then checked Sandy, who was knocked out cold. She had a black eye and bruises on her cheeks. SpongeBob quickly pushed a button on Sandy's suit, causing a new helmet to come out of the suit. He then quickly removed the water from the suit using her flusher. As he finished, Flats punched him away from her. SpongeBob landed a few feet away. Flats walked up to him and glared, "Well, SpongeBob, since your little girlfriend is taken care of, now it's time for me to finish what I started all those years ago." SpongeBob shook with fear. He asked, "W-Why are you doing this?" Flats slowly stepped closer to SpongeBob, "One word, kid. Revenge. You humiliated me. You sent me off. Now I'm not going to make the same mistake of just using useless threats and words. Now it's time for the real action!" He grabbed SpongeBob and flung him at a wall of a building. Flats laughed and held him into the air so he couldn't get away. He started repeatedly smashing him against the wall. SpongeBob screamed, "SANDY! SANDY! HELP ME!" Sandy regained consciousness just in time. She heard SpongeBob's screaming and gasped. She slowly got up and limped as fast as she could to Flats. She tapped his shoulder. Flats, surprised, turned around. Right when he faced her, Sandy threw a fierce punch at his face. Flats slammed into the wall and fell forward to Sandy's feet, dropping SpongeBob in the process. SpongeBob groaned in pain as he hit the ground, crawling slowly away from the fight. He got up slowly to see Sandy kicking Flats in the face continuously. She grunted as she made one final blow at Flats' face, knocking him out.

Sandy turned to where SpongeBob was. He was panting and groaning in pain holding his side as he laid on the ground. Sandy limped slightly as she made her way to the fallen sponge. She fell to her knees and tapped SpongeBob, "SpongeBob, ya'll alright?" SpongeBob groaned and turned to Sandy, "Y-Yeah. My side hurts, though." Sandy looked at his side, "Wee doggy! That must've hurt! What happened there?" SpongeBob answered, "Flats grabbed me there when he smashed me into the wall. I can still feel his grip." Sandy flinched when she looked again. His side was indeed indented as if someone grabbed him there. She stood up and helped SpongeBob up, "C'mon. I'll book a room at a hotel. We can stay here for the night. We need some food and rest anyways." SpongeBob nodded in agreement and limped off.

It was dusk. Sandy couldn't find a hotel, but a rundown motel in the slums. Sandy was in the lobby trying to get a room. She was holding back a glare at the obnoxious teenage fish behind the front desk. Sandy sighed, "I'm gonna say this again. All I want is a room!" The fish glanced at Sandy, then at SpongeBob who stood next to her holding his side. The fish rolled her eyes, "So you want a room. Why here? Is it your honeymoon or something?" Sandy and SpongeBob both blushed at the word "honeymoon," but Sandy recovered quickly and shouted, "NO! We just want a place to sleep!" The fish sighed. She then gave Sandy the key to a room. Sandy sighed, "Finally!" She grabbed the key and took SpongeBob up the stairs to their designated room.

The room was in the second floor of the three-story motel. It had only one twin-sized bed, a bathroom, an armoire and cabinets on both sides of the bed. Sandy sighed, "Well, it's better than nothin', I guess." She kneeled on the bed and motioned SpongeBob to sit. Sandy started massaging his side. She stopped every time SpongeBob shouted in pain, and added pressure when SpongeBob moaned in comfort. When SpongeBob felt better, he laid down. Sandy exited their room and looked at the view. There was a large body of goo in the distance, and night lights of the rest of Moss Angeles, an excellent view from such a rundown part of the city. Sandy sighed. They were more than halfway to Planktopolis 2, and she had a roller coaster of emotions throughout her journey so far. All Sandy could think of was SpongeBob. She was officially in love with him. She didn't care if he was a weak, naïve fry cook. She loved his personality the most: his dedication as a friend, his kindness, his sense of humor, his loyalty, and his care. All of those qualities caught her attention from the start. It made them friends. Sandy yawned. Maybe it's best if they rest now so they can gain more ground the next day. She walked back into their room and laid next to SpongeBob, who was already asleep. Sandy fell asleep quickly. She was fortunate not to have a nightmare that night. She smiled as she slept, and subconsciously wrapped an arm around SpongeBob, who subconsciously hugged her back. They saved each other's lives, and their friendship strengthened, but they didn't know that they were both asking the same question to themselves: Can we be more than friends, and is it even possible?

**Hope you enjoyed! Feedback is appreciated and stay tuned for more!**


	13. Chapter 12: Mind Off the Mission

**Here's a chapter in which our two protagonists try to take a break from their adventurous and dangerous mission. Enjoy!**

Chapter 12: Mind Off the Mission

Sandy woke up and stretched. She smiled and looked at SpongeBob, who was still sleeping peacefully. She remembered that she took off her air suit in the middle of the night to sleep more comfortably. She picked up her suit and put it on. She then stood up and stepped outside to see the view. The body of goo was gleaming clearly and brightly, the city was already buzzing with activity and fighting robots, and the sun was rising brightly from under the sea. Sandy sighed. It reminded her of the time she went to the Houston Bay Area back in Texas. She heard a noise behind her and noticed SpongeBob was awake. He stood next to her and joined her in staring at the view. Sandy sighed again, "Ain't this pretty?" SpongeBob nodded. He placed an arm around Sandy's shoulder. Sandy blushed but welcomed this action.

After a few minutes of staring at the view, SpongeBob nudged Sandy, "Sandy, wanna go get some food before we continue? I wanna visit the legendary Pink Pearl Pier, where many fish come to experience Lake Pearl from up close to see the famous pink surface. I wanna go to the Pier because neither of us have seen it from so close before. It'll be fun, Sandy, trust me!" Sandy nodded and smiled, "Sure, SpongeBob. This is the first time that we've been completely alone together in years. No Patrick, no Squidward, no Mr. Krabs, just the two of us." SpongeBob nodded and walked down the rusty staircase. Sandy followed after a moment more of staring at the view.

About five minutes passed as SpongeBob and Sandy made their way to Pink Pearl Pier to find food. They sauntered into Pink Pearl Pier's Pizza Parlor, where the pizza was served with pink lemonade and a special view of Lake Pearl. SpongeBob waited at a table next to a window with a great view of the lake while Sandy ordered pizza for both of them. SpongeBob started to stare at Sandy again. Despite all the chaos and conflict that ensued since their journey began, she still looked pretty. Should he tell her about these feelings he had been having since they started their journey? SpongeBob suddenly became nervous, and he wasn't too sure why. He put the thought aside and focused on the main task at hand. They were on day four of their journey, and they were getting close to Planktopolis 2.

SpongeBob was so deep in thought that he didn't notice Sandy arriving with six slices of pizza split evenly in half. Sandy looked at him concerned, "SpongeBob?" She proceeded to tap his shoulder, causing SpongeBob to break his train of thought. The first thing he saw after recovering was Sandy, who looked slightly worried and tired, "Um, the pizza's here. Eat up, Sponge." SpongeBob nodded, "Okay. Thanks, Sandy."

While eating slowly, SpongeBob and Sandy shared glances between each other and their food. They also shared the same thought, _Should I reveal these odd feelings I've been having since this journey started?_ Neither of them wanted to reveal their feelings, but they really did at the same time. Nervousness and fear of rejection kept both of their mouths shut. Sandy changed her focus from her feelings to simply catching up. Because they had not seen each other for months prior to this journey, this moment seemed the most appropriate to catch up and talk casually to each other. Sandy spoke, "SpongeBob, what have ya'll been up to while I was… busy?" SpongeBob looked at her, showing a somewhat sad face to her because his answer was quite emotional. He answered, "Most of the time, I was just jellyfishing with Patrick and working at the Krusty Krab 2. Other than that, all I've been thinking about was our friendship and how I could get us back together." Sandy winced at the word 'friendship.' She did not want to remind herself of all those times she kicked him out of her house while she worked, especially after her apology three nights ago. Sandy sighed, "Y'know, SpongeBob, every day I was working, I missed the sweet, sweet sound of your voice and the welcoming mood ya'll always visit with when you enter my treedome. I promise never to kick you out of my house again, no matter how mad or busy I get." SpongeBob smiled as he took another bite out of his pizza. Sandy placed another pizza inside her suit and took a bite as well.

It was SpongeBob's turn to ask a question, "Sandy, what did you invent during those months?" Sandy sighed and answered, "Well, the improvements on my air suit I'm wearing is one. Another is a time machine that makes one invisible to the inhabitants of the time you're visiting. Other inventions include a stealth cloak, a love potion, a virtual reality vine-swinging simulator for my bosses, holographic niches, and a personified robot that has thoughts, emotions, feelings and other lifelike qualities. One experiment I keep trying yet failing is the most important project for me. The dual-breathing project. Breathing water and air without having to give up the other. It's the one I've always looked forward to, and my bosses expect one of their employees to pull through. I failed at least five times. The project I was working on the day we started our journey was the personified robot." SpongeBob nodded and continued eating. Sandy did the same, and the two stayed silent, deep in thought again.

After eating, SpongeBob and Sandy both just stared outside of the restaurant's window, and the breathtaking view of Lake Pearl and its beautiful pink goo. Sandy sighed. SpongeBob got up and tapped her shoulder, "Wanna walk along the beach?" Sandy nodded and stood up. They both left as they walked slowly to Pink Pearl Beach to walk alongside the waves. SpongeBob smiled at the sight of kids playing with the sand and people surfing the waves. It reminded him of Goo Lagoon. Because the robots didn't like goo or other wet objects ironically other than water, the beach was almost unscathed except for a few robot parts washing up along the shoreline. SpongeBob and Sandy made it along the shores and started walking even slower as goo touched their feet. Sandy subconsciously grabbed hold of SpongeBob's hand. SpongeBob blushed. _Maybe she's in the moment_, SpongeBob thought. Some of the beachgoers stopped and stared at the sponge and squirrel. Some whispered to their friends, some had a disgusted expression, and others whistled to cheer the two on as if they were lovers. SpongeBob and Sandy both blushed at the attention they were getting, but they quickly stopped caring and continued walking slowly along the shoreline. Little did any of them know that trouble was afoot.

Meanwhile, Manray was patrolling the small town of Pink Pearl. Plankton's voice was heard from his radio, "Manray! Status report!" Manray reported, "No sign of the sponge or rodent, sir!" "Keep looking!" Plankton commanded, "Flats got beaten at Moss Angeles, and Moss Angeles is very close to Pink Pearl. Remember! I entrusted the Krabby Patty Secret Formula to you to hide at Town Hall. Do NOT fail me!" Manray nodded, "Consider the job done, boss. Just one question though. Why is the formula here if your palace is more heavily protected?" Plankton answered, "It's part of my plan. SpongeBob would assume that it's here at the palace. Hiding it in a random town will keep him or anyone else in Bikini Bottom from ever finding out anytime soon. Now find and kill the sponge and bring the squirrel to me. Got it?" Manray nodded again, "Understood, sir." He put the radio in his pocket and flew into the air to continue his patrolling.

SpongeBob and Sandy stopped walking along the shore to sit on the sand and stare at Lake Pearl. It surely was a beautiful view. It almost seemed romantic. They both sighed at the same time. SpongeBob glanced at Sandy and smiled. Sandy sensed his staring and smiled back, looking down as she thought about her feelings again, but only for a moment. She got up and asked, "SpongeBob, let's have some real fun for once. Wanna play some volleyball with me?" SpongeBob beamed and stood up, "Sure thing, Sandy!" Sandy motioned, "Well, c'mon!" She started sprinting to a nearby volleyball court, and SpongeBob followed close behind. Sandy stopped feet away from the net, spotting a duo that looked arrogant and competitive. One was a muscle-bound shark holding a volleyball and the other was a pretty female fish with a curvy body who smirked at her audience. SpongeBob stopped and glanced at Sandy, who was studying the duo with the volleyball. She whispered, "The shark looks tough, but he ain't Texas tough. He's seems all talk. The lady's different. She seems skilled by the look of her figure." She turned to SpongeBob and smirked, "We can take 'em." SpongeBob was nervous. He was never good at sports, and their opponents looked tough, but he trusted Sandy to the point where he would try his best.

Sandy walked onto the court and called out the duo, "Howdy, ya'll! Me and my spongy friend her are itchin' to challenge ya'll to a volleyball match. Best two out of three!" The shark looked at the squirrel that called him out. He glanced at his partner, who called Sandy out, "Hey everyone! Get a load of this chick! Well, lady, I'll have you and your freaky little friend here know that my boyfriend Mark and I are undefeated in volleyball. What makes you two foreigners think you can beat us?" Mark joined in the conversation, "And I'd like to add that these two look so poor and weak compared to us. C'mon, people! Do you all think that this freaky little couple can beat Rosie and me, the reigning champs in volleyball at Pink Pearl Beach?" Some people cheered while others nervously laughed along with the duo. Sandy just stared smugly, her arms folded, "Ya'll don't look so tough. I think we can take you." SpongeBob laughed nervously. Rosie glared, "Okay, you're on, lady!"

Mark picked up the volleyball and made a serving stance. Sandy glared in focus. Without looking, she told SpongeBob, "Get ready, SpongeBob." SpongeBob made a similar stance, but he was shaking in fear. What did he get himself into? Had he not learned what situations Sandy sometimes got him into? It was too late. For Sandy's sake, SpongeBob decided to shake his fear away. Mark started the game. He served the volleyball with a lot of might. SpongeBob gasped and flinched, causing Mark and Rosie to laugh. Sandy shouted, "SpongeBob! Quick, do this!" Sandy made a stance, cupping her hands together under her waist. SpongeBob made the stance as quickly as he could. The ball landed on his hands and bounced back up. Sandy jumped and spiked the ball. Rosie dove to the ground and hit the ball over the net, but Sandy spiked again on the other side and Mark could not make it in time before the ball landed in the sand.

The games continued, and both teams each won a game. It was the final game, and, most importantly, the deciding match. It was a tie, and the next two points decided the winners. A large crowd gathered around the court. Sandy and SpongeBob panted, sweat beading on their heads as they focused on the game. Mark and Rosie were nervous. Never had a two-man team cut a match so close before. They really underestimated the squirrel's agility and the sponge's luck. Sandy served. Rosie fish hit it and Mark spiked straight into the ground, causing a crater to form in the sand and causing SpongeBob to get blown back a few feet. The two opponents laughed as they cheered that they were one point away from victory. Sandy helped SpongeBob up. She whispered, "SpongeBob, set the ball. I'll finish." SpongeBob nodded as he got up and made another stance. Rosie served as hard as she could. It flew over SpongeBob's head. Sandy gasped and dove for the ball. She barely hit it and SpongeBob hit it over the net. Mark spiked the ball, but this time SpongeBob dove in time to bounce it back up into the air. Sandy set the ball as SpongeBob quickly got up and hit it at a vulnerable spot between Mark and Rosie. Rosie gasped in shock that her opponents were able to tie the game once again. SpongeBob served the ball this time. Mark hit it it hard over the net, but Sandy spiked it quickly in response. Rosie tried to hit the ball, but the ball hit her shoulder instead, causing it to careen into the crowd. SpongeBob and Sandy high-fived as they gained a one-point lead. SpongeBob served again. Mark answered back with a set. Rosie spiked it just over Sandy, but SpongeBob dove, hitting the ball just high enough to be a perfect set. Sandy hit it slightly at another weak spot and the ball hit the sand. The crowd went silent. All of a sudden, they all cheered. Mark and Rosie stared at each other in shock. They were finally beaten. SpongeBob and Sandy jumped up and cheered. They then hugged tightly, caught in the moment of victory.

While everyone was cheering, a loud explosion was heard from behind. Everyone on the beach turned around and gasped. One of the skyscrapers was blown from the top. Sirens started wailing as police officers, firefighters, and paramedics rushed to the scene. SpongeBob and Sandy glanced at each other in fear. Pink Pearl was under attack.

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter!**


	14. Chapter 13: Retrieving The Formula

**Sorry this chapter took a bit. Got a bit lazy and tired. Well, the new chapter is up! Enjoy!**

Chapter 13: Retrieving the Formula

SpongeBob and Sandy sprinted as fast as they could to Downtown Pink Pearl while everyone else on the beach as well as the city ran for their lives. They stopped when they saw the city itself. Robots filled the streets and the authorities could not contain them since their only weapons were batons. SpongeBob shook his head, "How could this happen?" Sandy shook her head, "Looks like break's over, SpongeBob." The two headed further downtown to fight the invading robots. Manray spied on the duo from on top of an apartment building close-by. He smirked. He pulled the radio and reported, "Targets spotted, sir." Plankton's voice was heard from the other side, "Excellent! Remember, eliminate the sponge, capture the squirrel and bring her to me. Pull this off, and you'll be promoted to the leader of my new army." Manray nodded, "I won't disappoint you, your Majesty." He jumped down from the top of the building.

SpongeBob and Sandy defeated a dozen robots on the main street. They were back-to-back in karate stance. They panted and turned around to face each other. SpongeBob smiled, causing Sandy to sheepishly smile back. Suddenly, they heard something land behind them. SpongeBob and Sandy turned around and gasped. Manray smirked as he walked towards them, "I knew you two would be here." SpongeBob gulped. Sandy made a karate stance, "What's your business here, Manray?!" Manray glared, "I'm here to finish you two, especially since Plankton's other nincompoop elites couldn't. You'll never beat me nor will you ever find the secret formula at City Hall!" He laughed for a moment before stopping, shocked that he gave away that essential piece of information. Under his breath, "Uh.. oh.. I shouldn't have said that.."

SpongeBob gasped when Manray mentioned the formula and where it was. Sandy leaned to him and whispered, "I'll distract Manray. You run to City Hall and find the formula. I'll meet you in front of City Hall. Go at my signal." Manray sighed and turned around back at the duo. He made a fighting stance as Sandy did hers. Sandy quickly made the first move and performed a sweeping kick on Manray and tripping him. She then shouted, "GO! SPONGEBOB! RUN NOW!" SpongeBob jumped and started sprinting around the town. After about a minute of running, SpongeBob spotted a sign on a street corner that pointed the direction to Town Hall. SpongeBob hastily made his way to retrieve the Krabby Patty formula.

Meanwhile, Manray sent a barrage of lasers down to Sandy, who dodged them with ease. She panted and looked up at Manray, who was in the air aiming down at her with his laser. He threatened, "Foolish rodent! Can't you see that you're too late in saving the world? I have already laid waste of more than half of the sea! You're recalcitrance is futile." Sandy shouted back, "We ain't too late yet! As long as SpongeBob and I are on this mission, none of ya'll will ever see victory!" Manray growled and fired another barrage of lasers at the squirrel, who dodged them all and took shelter in an apartment building. She panted for a moment before making her way to the roof.

Manray fired at the apartment, causing scared civilians to run for another building for cover. Sandy stopped on the roof, panting again. Moments later, she glared at Manray, who aimed at her head again, "You just don't know when to quit, squirrel." Sandy sprinted off the roof and landed on Manray's leg. Manray tried kicking her off, but Sandy started climbing up to his laser. She started to wrestle with Manray over the laser, causing beams to fly in random directions. People on the ground screamed and ran for cover.

SpongeBob was stealthily searching for the formula in Town Hall. Every room was conveniently dark. Robot guards surrounded him with infrared vision. SpongeBob looked around a corner, seeing nothing but robots and a round table. He ran as silently as he could from dark corner to dark corner, searching every room for the Krabby Patty formula, but to no avail, until he made his way to the door at the end of a long hallway. He gasped as he saw the formula inside a glass bottle in a glass box surrounded by lasers.

SpongeBob was so relieved to have found the formula that he cheered and started running to it without realizing that the robots detected him and his cheering. They quickly loaded their weapons and quickly ran or flew toward the sponge. SpongeBob heard the robots spring into action. He gasped as he heard a robot stop behind him and aim its weapon straight at him. SpongeBob quickly pulled out his spatula. The robot fired. SpongeBob dodged the laser and lunged at the robot, spatula in hand. The robot started to make a siren call, alerting the other robots. SpongeBob slashed its head off. The robot collapsed slowly, blocking the door just enough so the other robots couldn't barge in nor get a clear shot. One robot tried busting in, but it gave up and fired its laser, missing SpongeBob, but breaking the glass that protected the bottle containing the formula. SpongeBob gasped and sprinted to the pedestal the formula was standing on. He quickly grabbed it and used the destroyed robot's body as a shield from the other robots. He then burst through the door and sprinted for the exit.

Manray landed on the ground. Sandy landed on him as the two started wrestling in the middle of a street. Sandy curb stomped his mask repeatedly and ran off to City Hall. Manray groaned and activated a wrist radio, "Robots, emergency! Head to City Hall! Eliminate the resistors!" Every robot in town stopped what they were doing. Their eyes glowed red and made their way quickly to City Hall.

Sandy entered the City Hall building. She looked around for signs of SpongeBob. Red flashes from sirens were rotating on the walls, and the halls were gleaming white. She called, "SpongeBob?" She heard yelling in the distance. All of a sudden, SpongeBob turned the corner in the same hall, sprinting as if he was being chased. Sandy exclaimed, "SpongeBob!" She opened her arms for a hug, but SpongeBob ran by and yelled, "Run Sandy!" Sandy opened her eyes and saw giant robots with lasers shooting. She gasped and sprinted the other direction after SpongeBob. She caught up to him and asked, "SpongeBob, you got the formula?" SpongeBob took it out and smiled, "Sure do!"

SpongeBob and Sandy saw the exit, prompting them to run faster. Right as they reached the front doors, they abruptly stopped. Robots surrounded them, their weapons pointed straight at them and their eyes glowing red. Dozens were on the street, many on the roofs of the buildings across the street, a few on the sides of the stairs toward the sidewalk, and many on the sidewalk itself. SpongeBob and Sandy gasped at the sight before them. One small flying robot entered with Manray on its back. Manray jumped down and glared at the duo, "Fools! You two think you can get away with this! You have two options! Either give me the formula and surrender now, or DIE!" Sandy held SpongeBob's hand and whispered, "We can't take all of 'em. Let's just clear the way and get out of here." SpongeBob nodded and glared at Manray, "We'll never surrender!" Manray aimed his laser, "Then parish! Robots, fire at will!"

Every robot started firing at SpongeBob and Sandy, who both sprung into action. They ran together to the right hand side, pushing or destroying the robots in their path. Manray commanded, "After them! Don't let them get away!" The entire robot group started chasing the sponge and squirrel, who both started sprinting faster. Sandy spotted a parked boatmobile. She motioned SpongeBob to follow her. They hopped into the boatmobile. Sandy crawled under the wheel, trying to hot wire the boatmobile as fast as she could. SpongeBob started shaking, "Sandy, you better hurry!" Sandy started breathing quickly, "Almost done!" They both ducked under the interior of the boatmobile in order to dodge the bullets and lasers fired at them. Sandy suddenly exclaimed, "Got it! Hang on, SpongeBob!" SpongeBob put his seatbelt on and held on tightly to his seat. Sandy revved the boatmobile and floored it. The boatmobile sped quickly through the city and out of downtown. The robots could not keep up. Manray shouted, "NO! Impossible! How could they get away?!"

Sandy was still driving on dirt while SpongeBob just sat there. A sudden thought entered his head like an earworm. He asked Sandy, "Sandy? How come you can floor it and not get in trouble like I do?" Sandy held back a giggle, "Ah, SpongeBob! It's because I have a license and I can control where I'm going. After this is over, I can give you some driving lessons. I bet I'm better at teachin' than Mrs. Puff." SpongeBob smiled, "Sure, Sandy."

About two hours passed. It was dusk and the boatmobile made a bad sound. When it came to a complete stop, Sandy sighed, "Uh oh. I think we're out of gas." She hopped off the boatmobile. SpongeBob hopped down and stared at Sandy, who was setting up the tent. He was now questioning whether this was love he was feeling for the squirrel. He thought about telling her the next day. He pushed the thought aside once Sandy finished setting up the sleeping bags. SpongeBob laid down next to Sandy, who faced him smiling, "You enjoying the journey so far, SpongeBob?" SpongeBob smiled, "Well, if we can ignore the robots, the people trying to kill us, and Plankton being a tyrant, then yes, you can say I'm having fun." They both started laughing at the statement. Sandy stopped first and smiled again, "Same here. Well, we gotta have some shut-eye. Tomorrow might be hectic because we'll be going through the last two towns before Planktopolis 2. Good night!" Sandy turned around. SpongeBob yawned, "Goodnight Sandy."

SpongeBob fell asleep rather quickly, but Sandy started thinking about her feelings again. She turned to face him again and thought aloud, "Oh, SpongeBob. I love you, but I don't know if you love me back. Love is such a scary thought, but at the same time, it's the most pleasant thought to dream and think about." She sighed, "Tomorrow might be the craziest and most dangerous day of our journey, too. If you die, I don't know how I could live with myself, especially if I never reveal these feelings to you." After a minute of thinking, Sandy sighed again, "SpongeBob, I'm gonna tell you my feelings tomorrow, right before we enter Plankton's palace. I'm not letting you die without knowing about my love for you. All I can do now is hope and pray that you like me back." She turned back around and fell asleep quickly.

**Hope you enjoyed! Feedback is appreciated and stay tuned for the next chapter!**


	15. Chapter 14: Hope Is Lost

**I decided to post the next chapter for the sake of posting another chapter. :P Enjoy!**

Chapter 14: Hope Is Lost

Barely a half hour after she went to sleep, Sandy's eye twitched. Another nightmare began. Sandy got up, but, like last time, she wasn't in the tent. The whispering in her voice began again, "All hail Plankton." She was in a prison, locked in a poorly conditioned small cell fit for two. Sandy grabbed the bars on the cell door and looked around. There were other cells with random people in prison jump suits. Suddenly, the cell doors automatically opened. Sandy exited her cell and walked along the guard rails. The prison guards entered the cell block, guns blazing. Plankton showed up as the warden. He motioned the guards something. Sandy stared as the guards entered the cell doors. She then heard gunshots. The guards were executing the prisoners! Sandy gasped and hid in a cell in the corner. She then gasped at who was hiding in the cell. It was SpongeBob! Sandy hugged him, "Oh, SpongeBob! What are you doing here?" SpongeBob was shaking and whispered, "I-I'm scared, Sandy." Sandy grabbed his hand and picked him up. She assured, "Don't worry, little buddy. I'll get you outta here."

The guards went up to the floor SpongeBob and Sandy were in. Sandy looked out and gasped. She took SpongeBob's hand and climbed over the rail to the first floor. She motioned SpongeBob to the guards' quarters. They turned left and ran down the stairs. There was a hallway behind the stairs. Sandy spotted the hallway and sprinted towards it. SpongeBob followed closely behind her. They kept flinching every time they heard a gunshot coming from upstairs. At the end of the hallway was a double door. Sandy grabbed the handle with all her might. It was locked. Sandy pounded in frustration and motioned SpongeBob to head back.

Sandy heard guards yelling that prisoners were down in the guards' quarters. She panicked, knowing it was them the guards were talking about. Sandy spotted what looked like an elevator. She sprinted in it and accidentally stepped on a pressure plate. Behind her, the gates shut, trapping her in the space. SpongeBob remained outside and pounded on the door screaming, "NO! SANDY!" Sandy screamed back, "SPONGEBOB! HELP ME! GET ME OUT!" Suddenly, two guards ran down the stairs. Sandy gasped, "SpongeBob, behind you!" SpongeBob turned around and gasped. He started panicking, running in circles and screaming. The guards stopped and pointed their guns at SpongeBob. SpongeBob stopped running and fell to his knees, begging, "P-P-PLE-PLE-PLEASE PLEASE DON'T KILL ME! PLEASE DON'T KILL ME! NOOO!" Tears escaped SpongeBob's eyes as Sandy watched in horror. The guards opened fire, shooting SpongeBob in the head and chest. SpongeBob collapsed, dead. Sandy screamed at the top of her lungs, "NOOOOO! SPONGEBOB!" Tears escaped her eyes as the one she secretly loved was dead. A guard appeared behind the bulletproof glass. The guard was the same one that held the machete in the last nightmare. Sandy was no longer scared. All that she felt was total grief and rage. She yelled at the guard at the top of her lungs, "YOU'RE GONNA PAY! I SWEAR TO TEXAS YA'LL ARE GONNA PAY! WHEN I GET OUTTA HERE I'LL BEAT YOU TO A PULP! I'LL BEAT YOU SO HARD THE NEXT THING YOU'LL SEE IS A FIERY GATE!" All the guard did was smirk. He pulled the lever placed in front of him. Sandy glared at the guard, tears still escaping her eyes. She gasped when the elevator made a sound. Electricity started appearing, then she got shocked to death. The last thing she heard was Plankton laughing evilly, and the last thing she saw was SpongeBob's body.

Sandy shot up, tears in her eyes and breathing heavily. She looked around. There was no sign of SpongeBob. Based on the light outside of the tent, Sandy could tell that it was morning.

She opened the tent and saw SpongeBob making brunch for the two of them using a grill that he created out of wood and metal from an abandoned barn in the middle of nowhere. She also saw a large body of goo, which didn't appear the night before because of how dark it was. SpongeBob was too busy humming a tune that he didn't notice. Sandy sighed with relief and ran towards him. SpongeBob jumped as Sandy ran into him in a tight hug. Sandy cried, "SpongeBob! You're okay! I thought you were gone for good." SpongeBob hugged back, confused. Sandy separated from the hug, and SpongeBob realized that she had another nightmare. Tears were in her eyes, and her heart was beating rapidly. SpongeBob asked, "Sandy, are you okay?" Sandy nodded and the tears returned. After witnessing his murder in her nightmare, seeing him alive and concerned for her made her heart warm up. SpongeBob pulled her back into another hug. Sandy calmed down and answered, "Yeah. I'm okay. I'm sorry, SpongeBob. I just had another nightmare and… you died in it." SpongeBob sighed, "Oh. It's okay, Sandy. I'm fine. Well, I'm making food for us. Today might be crazier than ever so we should at least have our stomachs filled, especially since we haven't eaten in so long." Sandy nodded and went back into the tent to put everything back into the pod. About a few minutes later, SpongeBob walked up to her with two large sandwiches. He handed one to her and started eating. Sandy opened up her suit and grabbed her sandwich with a free arm. She started eating as comfortably as she can.

The two ate quietly and subtly, staring at the body of goo and its lovely horizon. When they finished, Sandy thought about the threats that they would likely be facing this day. She turned to SpongeBob, who was packing his sleeping bag. She smiled and nudged him, "Y'know, SpongeBob, I'm getting tired of all this emotional mumbo jumbo we've been having since we started this journey. How about we practice a little karate for old times' sake? I got some new moves I've been wanting to teach ya'll." SpongeBob turned and smirked, "Okay, Ms. Cheeks. Just to let you know, while you were holed up in your treedome all those months, I've been practicing my karate. I'll have you know that I've improved a lot." Sandy rolled her eyes playfully and smirked back, "Challenge accepted, Squarepants! We'll put that to the test." The two put on their karate gloves. Sandy nudged SpongeBob, "Okay, here's one new move. I performed it on that varmint Dennis. I call it the Explosive Aerial Combo! All you gotta do is send your target up in the air, perform many combo moves to subdue that target, then finish with a massive explosive drop kick straight to the ground. The secret to the explosion is that you gotta put all your weight and power into your kicking leg. The kick has to be so powerful that the molecules between you and the target split apart. The explosion won't harm you because the explosion is pointed away from you. There are also different levels of the explosion, depending on how powerful your kick is. I performed the level four explosion on Dennis, which incapacitated him. The level one explosion is just a regular kick with an explosion that just hurts. Level two confuses the target. Level three makes the target dizzy, and level five is the knockout kick. I've been wanting to see if there's a level six, but I'm scared that it's potentially fatal. Allow me to give a demonstration. The target is that rock." Sandy pointed at a medium sized rock close to them. She threw it into the air and performed seven aerial kicks and punches until performing a level four explosive drop kick. The rock was crushed into bits. SpongeBob watched in awe and applauded her. Sandy landed and walked up to SpongeBob, "Now it's your turn."

SpongeBob spotted another medium sized rock closeby. He tried to pick it up, but he was too weak. Sandy held back a giggle, "Okay, let me help you." Sandy picked up the rock and motioned SpongeBob to jump. SpongeBob made a stance. Sandy counted to three, and SpongeBob jumped. He hit the rock six times then performed a level two explosive kick.

Sandy smiled and wrapped an arm around SpongeBob, "You did it, SpongeBob! You now know the Explosive Aerial Combo! Just practice, and ya'll can hit a level five in no time." SpongeBob jumped and cheered, "Hooray! I learned a new move!" Sandy then smirked, "Well then, SpongeBob, now for you to put that new move to the test, because it's time for a long-awaited karate match." She made a karate stance. SpongeBob smirked back and made a karate stance of his own, "You're on, Miss Cheeks!"

The play fight was on. Sandy slid towards SpongeBob and made a fake chop. SpongeBob got tricked and made a blocking stance. Sandy then performed a surprise roundhouse kick, knocking SpongeBob off his feet. He recovered quickly and made a fake lunge at Sandy, who anticipated such a move. She faked a dodge and stuck a leg out. To her surprise, SpongeBob stopped and made a sweeping kick. Sandy fell but quickly recovered. She panted for a second, but SpongeBob kicked her into the air. He jumped and commenced the move he just learned. He performed seven attacks then a level three explosive kick. Sandy softened her landing with her tail, but enough damage was done for her to fall into a wave of dizziness. Before she regained her focus, SpongeBob unleashed a move of his own. He elbowed her stomach then kicked her in the chest. She landed on a large, sharp rock, causing her air helmet to break.

SpongeBob panicked and tried to get her up in desperation. He apologized, "Sandy, I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have done that! What are we gonna do?! I just killed my best friend!" Sandy recovered from her dizziness and realized that she could not breathe. She pressed a button on her suit and another helmet came up from within her suit. She drained her suit of any remaining water and started breathing heavily. After retaining a normal breathing pattern, she noticed SpongeBob crying with regret next to her. She placed an arm on the back of his head. SpongeBob looked at her. Sandy smiled weakly. SpongeBob exhaled in delight that she was still alive, but frowned and apologized, "I'm sorry, Sandy. I almost got you killed! We shouldn't have done this karate match." Sandy forgave him right away, "It's fine, SpongeBob. Ya'll obviously didn't mean to do what you did." SpongeBob smiled, causing Sandy to smile back. "Also, I gotta say that you're right. You did improve on your karate. I didn't expect you to outmaneuver me. I also didn't expect ya'll to beat me so quickly. Sometimes needing an air helmet at all times can be a bummer," Sandy reassured. SpongeBob sighed again. Sandy got up and dusted her suit off, "Well, I'd love to continue on this karate, but we gotta get to Planktopolis 2 by dusk. Now come on!" She took her karate gloves off and walked ahead. SpongeBob took his gear off and screamed, "Hey, wait up!"

Sandy checked the time. It was about two in the afternoon. She then checked the map. The next city that cut between them and Planktopolis 2 was Marlin Marina, a beautiful town bordering Seaweed Sea, a large body of green goo that had an astonishingly reflective surface. She showed SpongeBob, "Lookie here, SpongeBob. The next town is Marlin Marina. It's only about a mile away. Can you see Seaweed Sea from here?" She pointed at the large green mirror-like body of water. SpongeBob gasped in awe, "Hey, I know this place! My parents used to take me here every summer when I was a kid. I've always wanted to go here with a friend ever since, but nobody wanted to go with me." Sandy looked at him guiltily, knowing that she was most likely one of the friends that kept turning him down. Avoiding another breakdown into depression, she offered, "I'd like to go with ya'll this coming summer. Maybe bring Patrick as well to provide entertainment." SpongeBob smiled, "I'd love to take you, Sandy. Unfortunately, I can't take Patrick because he was banned from the town. He thought he was drowning because he saw his reflection in the goo. He then panicked and destroyed half the town screaming for help." SpongeBob started laughing. Sandy joined in. They really enjoyed their time together.

SpongeBob and Sandy were telling jokes to each other. They had been walking for over an hour. Sandy asked, "Okay. Okay. Here's one. What's another name for a French cook?" SpongeBob snickered, "What?" Sandy answered, "A French fry!" The two started laughing again. They stopped when SpongeBob slammed into a sign. It read, "Welcome to Sunny Marlin Marina! Don't Just Experience the Sea, Live the Sea!" Sandy stared at the sign then glanced at the town. The town was almost completely destroyed. Buildings were toppled. The roads were filled with cracks and craters. There was no sign of life. SpongeBob sighed, "So much for visiting this place soon." Sandy sighed too, "Yeah. This place looked so pretty on the map. I also looked forward to coming with ya'll here." They started looking around. There was no sign of robots anywhere. SpongeBob and Sandy both feared an ambush. Like at the ranch, they crept around corners for any movement.

All of a sudden, Sandy heard footsteps. Three fish were running and screaming, "WATCH OUT! ROBOT ATTACK! GET OUT OF HERE AS FAST AS YOU CAN!" SpongeBob and Sandy turned around and gasped at the sight. Over forty robots appeared. They were large, had laser eyes, and had machine guns or cannons for arms. SpongeBob and Sandy gulped. SpongeBob asked, "Sandy, do you think we can take them?" Sandy shook her head, "I'm honestly not sure, SpongeBob." The robots then started running towards the two. SpongeBob screamed and Sandy made a karate stance. SpongeBob ran to the left as about a dozen robots chased him. Sandy climbed on one robot and punched at its chest multiple times before opening it up. She tore off its cannon arm and fired at two other robots running at her. She grabbed the arm of another and shot three more before slamming the robot to the ground, causing it to explode on impact with the ground. She growled as more came at her, "Who else wants a piece of me?!" She started running at the robots as fast as she could.

SpongeBob climbed a standing building and pulled out his spatula. He jumped down and slashed the head of one robot in half. He batted an arm away and slashed another robot's head off. He got hit by another, but recovered quickly and sliced its machine gun arm off with his spatula. He hesitantly shot at two more that ran his way, losing his balance by the recoil of the large gun and his inability to carry it. He got up and panted while another robot started firing its cannon at him. SpongeBob barely dodged it and took cover inside the standing building. He spotted a family, scared for their lives and huddling in a corner. The father pointed at SpongeBob and asked, "Are you SpongeBob Squarepants, savior of the town of Bikini Bottom?" SpongeBob nodded, "Yeah, I'm SpongeBob." The father begged, "Thank Neptune! We're saved! Mr. Squarepants, can you help evacuate me and my family? This town is done for!" SpongeBob nodded, "Sure, but we better hurry. Robots are right outside. Let's get out the back door." The father motioned his family out the back door. He yelled to SpongeBob, "Bless you, Mr. Squarepants! Bless you!" He ran off with his family to the nearest shelter. SpongeBob smiled and ran out the front door to confront the robots again.

Sandy finished defeating all the robots sent after her. She placed her hands on her knees and panted. She beat over twenty robots, all with guns. She started looking around the area for SpongeBob. She gasped as SpongeBob was facing about six more robots. She ran to help him. As soon as she arrived, SpongeBob got hit by a cannon, causing him to fly into the standing building, losing consciousness in the process. Then a robot fired its cannon at the building, causing it to collapse on top of him. Sandy gasped and sprinted towards the building. As soon as she arrived at the scene, she shook her head in disbelief. The robots lunged at her. Sandy growled. She made a stance and unleashed a flurry of attacks, performing every karate move and combo she knew.

After destroying the robots, Sandy turned back to the site where SpongeBob was crushed. She started moving the debris desperately. As she dug frantically at the destroyed building in search for her SpongeBob, she shouted, "No! Please! SpongeBob! Please be alive! Please! I love you! PLEASE!" Suddenly, her ears shot up she heard a robot land and say in monotone, "Operation Eliminate SpongeBob Successful." Tears appeared in Sandy's eyes. She had no reason to live anymore now that SpongeBob was gone. She knelt down at the site where SpongeBob was killed, sobbing silently. She whispered, "I never got to tell him. I should've told him.. I should've told him.. that… I loved him." Suddenly, a robot grabbed and cuffed her arms. It was Robo-Commander, who announced, "Operation Capture the Squirrel Successful." Sandy stayed knelt down on the debris. She knew it was no use resisting. She lost hope in the world, and she had no more motivation nor the strength to carry on anymore. Sandy started sobbing silently again, mourning that SpongeBob was dead. All hope was lost.

Little did neither Sandy nor anyone else know that, under the rubble SpongeBob laid in, a faint glow appeared. SpongeBob was the Pure Spirit, and he unknowingly sacrificed his life for the family that was trapped in the standing building by evacuating them before the robots toppled the building over. After SpongeBob was killed by being crushed by the building, Sandy then desperately tried to dig him out, silently wept for him, and confessed her love to him while mourning. By these actions, though they didn't know it yet, Sandy had revived SpongeBob, which meant that Sandy was SpongeBob's true love.

**Stay tuned for more! The story gets a bit more romantic from here..**


	16. Chapter 15: Breaking Sandy

**New chapter is up! Enjoy!**

Chapter 15: Breaking Sandy

Plankton paced next to his throne. He was eager to hear the news that his plan last night worked. A voice then appeared through his walkie-talkie. It was in Flats' voice, "Sir, we have rendezvoused at Sardine Sauna. We confirmed the sponge's elimination and the squirrel is in custody. We will be meeting you in less than an hour. Flats out."

Plankton gasped, disbelief written all over his face. He smiled and turned to Karen, "It.. It worked. My plan.. It just wiped out all of my threats! Krabs, the squid, that bloated star, the king and his daughter are all locked up in my dungeon. The squirrel has been subdued and best of all, SPONGEBOB IS NO MORE!" He once again began laughing evilly. Karen then warned, "You know, Plankton. Even though your plan seems like a success right now, cheering before it's really over tends to ruin you and your plans. We don't know yet if SpongeBob is gone nor do we know what the squirrel will do to you. She has the strength, intelligence, and charisma to start up a riot in that dungeon!" Plankton laughed, "Honey, I predicted beforehand that the squirrel will be in too much of an emotional wreck to fight back. I planned for her to accompany the sponge. Based on my research of their friendship, I planned for those two to fall in love on their little journey here, which is why I had my throne built so far from Bikini Bottom. Also, the nightmares seem to do its own justice by subduing her and the rest of Bikini Bottom that much more." Confused, Karen asked, "What nightmares?" Plankton facepalmed himself and answered, "Karen, don't you remember the mind control helmets from Plan Z? I designed the helmets to weaken the mind of the target in order for it to be vulnerable enough to control at my will. When SpongeBob destroyed the helmets with that stupid kiddy song, they caused a negative effect on the mind, causing whoever was brainwashed to have the continuing effect of the helmets, hence the frequent nightmares. Because the squirrel was one of the people brainwashed, she is one of those that suffers the nightmares."

Karen questioned again, "That doesn't prove that she won't fight back. Did you see what she did to your best guys?" Plankton got frustrated by her constant doubt, "I'm aware! This is why I built new and improved bucket helmets." He showed Karen a see-through bucket helmet that glowed red. He continued, "If she doesn't cooperate, she and the rest of my prisoners in the dungeon will be forcibly brainwashed to follow my command. I made sure that these helmets won't break easily. Now let's just wait until Flats and the others arrive. We'll play everything out from there."

About a half hour passed. The doors slammed open. Robo-Commander and Flats showed up with Sandy, cuffed and looking down to the ground in grief. The remaining robots from Marlin Marina followed closely behind. Plankton laughed evilly at the sight of the squirrel. He shouted, "Ah! Sandra Cheeks! What a pleasant surprise!" Sandy still stared to the ground. Tears filled her eyes. She refused to look at the person responsible for her secret love's murder. Outside, Sandy was depressed and out of life. On the inside, she wanted cold, hard revenge on Plankton. She wanted to inflict the worst pain possible to him, but her grief was too strong for her to make any moves. Plankton continued, "It's such a shame what happened to your little friend, SpongeBob. He seemed like the only one who can stop me. Now that he's gone, there will be nobody that can stop me!" He started laughing evilly again. Sandy made an inaudible growl. Plankton mentioning SpongeBob's name in such a way fueled her inner anger much more. Tears dripped onto her helmet. Karen noticed this, "Plankton, she's crying." Plankton took a moment and squinted at Sandy. "Yeah, she is, just like I planned," he whispered to Karen, "I told you, Karen. She's too broken up after witnessing SpongeBob's death to even look at me." He cleared his throat, "Listen, squirrel, you will join me in being my lead scientist and you will invent new weapons of mass destruction. Now that SpongeBob's not here to stop me or motivate you, you have no choice. Resistance is futile at this point!" Sandy still looked at the ground. She made another inaudible growl. She sniffled and sighed. She slowly looked up at Plankton and glared, coldly and threateningly, "I'd rather die than work for you, soulless varmint!" Plankton glared back, "You will change your mind in time! Guards, take her to the dungeons!" Two large robots grabbed Sandy's arms and took her down into the dungeons.

Mindy paced in her cell, thinking of a way out. Squidward looked down at the ground, fearful of what was coming up in the future for him. He hoped that he won't be enslaved or brainwashed by Plankton again. Patrick went back to sleep, dreaming of having ice cream with Mindy. In the next cell, Mr. Krabs sighed. He hoped that SpongeBob would make it to Planktopolis 2 and somehow save everyone again, like he did when he returned from Shell City. Neptune sat on the opposite wall, still in disbelief that any of this was happening. He feared the safety of him, his daughter, and the state of the sea at this point. Everyone, except Patrick, turned and approached the cell bars when they all heard the dungeon doors open. The guards walked down the hall with Sandy. Mr. Krabs gasped. Squidward shook his head in disbelief. Mindy gasped. She remembered her from the photo album. She was the person SpongeBob brought along on the journey. There were two questions Mindy had. Where was SpongeBob and why was Sandy crying?

Sandy was placed in the cell adjacent to the cell that held Mindy, Squidward, and Patrick. The guards exited and shut the door. Patrick woke up, "Huh? What just happened?" Squidward shushed him, causing him to go right back to sleep. Mindy whispered loudly, "Uh.. Sandy?" There was no response except a sniffle, followed by labored breathing and gasps. Mindy took the hint. She sighed, "There's no hope now. It's all over. We're done." Squidward stood up and asked, "What? What did Sandy say?" Mindy answered, "She didn't say anything, but she's in the other cell, crying. That can only mean one thing. Before he left, SpongeBob told me he would bring a friend with him on the journey here to save us. I'm pretty sure it's her. She couldn't have gone into hiding back in Bikini Bottom. I evacuated everyone that was left there three days ago. It also explains why she got captured after five whole days. If she's crying, and she got captured alone, that means that… SpongeBob's gone!" Squidward debunked Mindy's theory, "That doesn't make sense! SpongeBob must still be out there, hiding! We don't know if he is dead." Sandy yelled from the other cell, "HE IS DEAD! I SAW HIM DIE!" Mentioning that moment brought tears back into her eyes. Squidward and Mindy scooted closer to the wall. They heard audible gasps and sniffles. Squidward sighed, "Well, there goes my hope of getting out of here." Mindy sighed and looked down. She heard her father's voice, "Mindy, what happened?" Mindy sadly answered, "It's over, Daddy. All hope is lost. SpongeBob is dead. His friend he brought with him told me." Neptune was shocked. He then sighed. SpongeBob was their last hope, and he's gone. Mr. Krabs burst into tears. Plankton won.

It was late nighttime. Everyone else was asleep, except Sandy. Nightmares weren't the only problem she faced. Now it was her pleasant, heartwarming thoughts and memories of her and SpongeBob. With him gone, his memory would forever be printed in her brain, and it hurt her every time she thought of him, and his demise. She turned her back to the cell door and silently wept again, "Why didn't I tell him I loved him? Now he's… gone forever." She placed both her hands on her heart as she laid on the ground weeping and mourning her secret love's death. She heard the dungeon doors open. Whether it was a guard or Plankton or one of his able henchmen, she did not care. She refused to look at anyone on Plankton's side. Plankton stood outside of her cell, smirking. _Now to break Lover Cheeks, mentally and emotionally_, Plankton thought. He started his insulting. In a low, dark voice, he mocked, "Look at you. The once brave, smart, strong squirrel before this whole thing started turned to… THIS. Pathetic. Gullible, stupid little rodent. You're actually dumb enough to trust that idiotic child of a sponge. Ha! He never loved you. He never CARED for you. You were just such an outcast down here that he felt bad for you." Rage and hatred built up inside Sandy while she heard this. She shouted at Plankton from in her head, _THAT IS NOT TRUE!_ Plankton smirked, sensing a breakdown, and continued, "You know it's true. Now to my main point. You will join me, one way or another. If you want to keep your free will, you will accept my offer right now. If you don't, you and everyone else in this dungeon will be saying hello to my improved and upgraded bucket helmets. You will help me build weapons of mass destruction. I will then use them to take over the world! After I finish off this sea, I will move on to the land, even your precious Texas!" Sandy mentally growled. First he mocked SpongeBob's death, then her, now Texas? He was crossing the line she never wanted him to cross. Plankton continued, "I will capture your little family. Soon they'll work for me and suffer under my rule! How does that sound?"

Sandy's inner rage couldn't take it anymore. She growled and flung herself at the cell doors, grabbing the bars. Plankton just smirked. He took a moment to see the work he had done on her face. Her eyes were a puffy red from nonstop crying, tears filled her eyes and rolled down her cheeks, and her breathing pattern was quick and labored. Mindy woke up from Sandy's actions. Plankton didn't notice, so she just listened in. Plankton laughed, "You stand no chance, squirrel. You're weak! SpongeBob's gone and you got nowhere else to go and no one to turn to. You better accept my offer by noon later today, or the new helmets will be on the heads of you and everyone else down here!" He walked back out to his throne, laughing evilly. As soon as he left, Sandy broke down again. Concerned, Mindy called, "Sandy?" All she heard was weeping. She felt bad for the squirrel. Sandy must have cared for SpongeBob for a long time, and this journey made her care for him enough to love him.

SpongeBob woke up. He had the craziest dream that he got hit by a robot's cannon. He tried looking around, but there was no space. His entire right side was crushed by debris, but his left was left mostly intact. He got enough space to breathe thanks to a window landing at an angle against the building's foundations. SpongeBob heard screaming and explosions around him. He assumed Sandy was calling for help. He had no choice but to scream in order to get out of the debris. He started screaming for help. A patrolling robot heard the screams and saw SpongeBob through its X-ray vision, "Destroy SpongeBob." It fired its cannon at the debris. The resulting explosion caused SpongeBob to fly up. He landed close-by with the robot rolling towards him. He pulled his crushed right arm out and conjured up a new arm. He then pulled out his spatula and swiped the robot away, landing in the debris of another building, exploding on impact.

SpongeBob was finally able to look around. It was dawn. There was no sign of the robots that attacked him, and there was no sign of Sandy. He came to the conclusion that he was crushed by the building and the robots captured Sandy, which meant that she was at Planktopolis 2! SpongeBob gasped. She must be in trouble, and he had no idea where to go. There was no map, and nobody to ask for directions. Luck was on his side. There was a street sign that conveniently showed the four cardinal directions. SpongeBob thought aloud, _Wow.. That was lucky._ He followed the sign pointing east and continued on his journey alone.

He reached the small town of Sardine Sauna soon after. He checked the time on his watch that conveniently appeared on his wrist. It was ten in the morning. He had walked for an hour. He took a look at the town. Basically nothing was left of the town. Buildings were burnt to a crisp, boats were crashed everywhere, and robot parts filled the ground. He sighed. There was probably no town left intact. He moved on quickly hoping to reach Planktopolis 2 before Plankton could do any harm to Sandy and the rest of his friends.

Sandy only had two hours of sleep. Fortunately she had no nightmare, but she did dream. She dreamt of her happiest memories with SpongeBob, from when they first met to the deep conversation they had on the first night of their journey. She woke up with tears in her eyes, saddened by the fact that there will no longer be any more moments between them now that SpongeBob was dead. She turned when she heard Mindy's voice from the other side of the wall of the cell, "S-Sandy? Are you okay?" Sandy sniffled and sat against the wall, "No. I don't think I can ever feel okay again." Mindy grabbed her heart after hearing that. Sandy was so distraught. She asked, "Are you at least calm enough to tell us what happened out there?" When she said that, Patrick and Squidward scooted close to Mindy to listen in on what happened on the journey.

Sandy sighed. Maybe this can lighten the load of her grief of SpongeBob's death. She began, "It started when he came in while I was working on my experiment. He told me everything that went on and wanted me to join him on the journey here to save everyone, but…" She paused as the tears returned. After a few seconds, she continued, "But I didn't believe him at first. I believed him when I saw the robots destroy my rocket and my car. We decided to go on foot. That night, I apologized to him for all the bad things I did throughout our years of friendship." She paused again as the tears returned again. It was really hard for her to tell the main events in the journey that involved her and SpongeBob. She continued, "The next day, we fought the varmints Dennis and the Tattletale Strangler. All we did for the rest of the day was gain as much ground as we could. Then we went by Moss Angeles, where we ran into Flats, who almost killed us. The day after, we saw Manray at Pink Pearl Pier. There, SpongeBob and I retrieved the krabby patty formula and ended Manray's rampage. Yesterday, we ran into the town of Marlin Marina, where we got ambushed by an army of huge robots. We got split up by the ambush. I defeated more than half of the robots. When I saw him, he got…" Sandy started weeping, reminding herself of the scene of his death. Mindy understood. She shook her head and glanced at Patrick and Squidward. Squidward sighed, "Then all hope IS lost, then." Patrick burst into tears, "NO! SpongeBob is dead? My best friend can't be dead!" Mindy comforted him, patting his back.

They suddenly heard the dungeon doors open. Plankton entered with two guards behind him. He made his way for Sandy's cell. He asked, "Have you made your decision, squirrel?" Sandy, tears still in her eyes, turned to Plankton and growled, "Like I said, I'd rather DIE than join you, Plankton!" Plankton glared and motioned the guards. They opened the cell at the end and pulled out a palace guard. He yelled, "Then watch as one by one all of you will forcibly wear my new bucket helmets!" One guard shoved the helmet on the prisoner. He struggled as he tried to pull off the helmet frantically. Plankton then pressed a button on his remote control. The prisoner stopped, looked at Plankton, and said in a monotonic voice, "All hail Plankton." Patrick, Squidward, and Mr, Krabs all screamed. Sandy burst into tears. She wished with all her heart that SpongeBob was alive and on his way to save her and everyone else from a demise that was more demeaning than death. Little did she know that right in front of Planktopolis 2, SpongeBob stood and stared at the sight before him. The dormant volcano was glowing orange with molten lava, and the palace looked like it was glaring down at him. SpongeBob took a deep breath. This was it.

**Hope you guys enjoyed! **


	17. Chapter 16: Breaking Out

**The next chapter is up! Also, the rest of the story is done in Docs, so I'll post a chapter most likely daily! Enjoy!**

Chapter 16: Breaking Out

SpongeBob was looking for an alternative entrance. He wanted to break his friends out as inconspicuously as possible. He spotted two large robots guarding the outside, with about a dozen strong guards patrolling close-by. He ran and hid in a bush to the left. SpongeBob then peeked at the palace again, looking for a way in. Suddenly, another muscle-bound man appeared from behind the guarded door and yelled, "Everyone, King Plankton has new orders for us!" With that, the men and robots all hurried into the palace. SpongeBob sighed with relief, "I thought I was gonna need to sneak by them." He smiled and sauntered towards the palace. He walked around and found an air duct entrance on the left side. SpongeBob karate kicked the cover and crawled into the air duct.

After a while of climbing the air duct up the building, he looked through the spacing and found out that he was in Plankton's throne room. He heard Plankton's voice, "In a week or two, we will be invading the other side. All of the men will watch over all my underwater subjects. The robots will move to land and invade and conquer every town. As of now, we destroy what remains of the underwater towns and capture and subdue all prisoners. The world will be mine!" SpongeBob made an inaudible gasp. He thought, _Invading the land? Is there no end to Plankton's evil? _He hastily continued crawling along the air duct, hoping to find wherever Plankton was holding his friends. Suddenly, the air duct dipped to SpongeBob's surprise. He screamed, which was heard throughout the air duct system. Plankton heard the shout, but fortunately for SpongeBob, he did not suspect, "Sheesh, that was a heck of a draft." He then continued pacing his throne.

SpongeBob landed on his back. Because he was a sponge, he was so light that his impact did not make much noise except for a soft squeak that came from his squishy exterior. He panted as he tried to regain his breath. Through the air duct, he found his main destination: the dungeon! He heard moans of pain and suffering and hopeless crying. To his surprise, SpongeBob also heard, "All hail Plankton." He recalled that exact phrase when Plankton brainwashed Bikini Bottom during the Shell City incident. SpongeBob asked himself, _Is Plankton brainwashing my friends again? Why? Why is he doing this to my friends?_ He sighed. He then peeked through the spacing and saw a prisoner with a see-through bucket that glowed red on his head. The robot guards were grabbing prisoners from within each cell. Each prisoner they grabbed screamed desperately for help, but the rest of the prisoners were either too hopeless or too weak to do anything. SpongeBob gasped in horror. All he hoped was that his friends were not brainwashed yet, so he crawled faster.

SpongeBob started peeking through each cell, hoping to find his friends. He noticed Mrs. Puff and Squilliam, and some familiar background characters in different cells. There was no sign of Neptune, Squidward, Patrick, Mindy, Mr. Krabs, or Sandy. He crawled a bit more, and heard familiar snoring. He peeked through the duct, and saw Patrick sleeping on the ground. He gasped, and noticed Squidward sitting in the corner, looking depressed and scared. SpongeBob also noticed Mindy pacing, thinking desperately about how to escape. SpongeBob wanted to barge in and rescue them, but he wanted to find everyone else first. In the next cell, he heard familiar crying. He heard this cry so recently. He peeked into the cell, and spotted Sandy, weeping in fetal position. He stopped and stared at her, feeling really bad for Sandy. Did she think he was dead? Was she out of hope? He heard her talk to him, as if he were dead, "Oh, Spongy, why would anyone want to kill you? You were so kind and sweet. I was too stupid to realize how much ya'll meant to me until so recently. I'm such a poor friend… I should've told you how much I loved you… but I didn't know how much time we had left together, and now you're gone!" She paused as she started weeping again. She then continued, "And now I'll never be able to tell you! And Plankton's gonna take me away and force me to forget about you and all the memories we had together." She then continued weeping as she rested her air helmet on her knees.

Tears welled up in SpongeBob's eyes. So she DID love him. SpongeBob wanted to search for Mr. Krabs, but seeing Sandy so weak and hopeless made him want to comfort her and let her know that he was alive. He decided to do so. He lightly pushed at the vent. The vent opening popped open and dropped along with SpongeBob. Sandy jumped to her feet and backed away from the vent. She gasped in disbelief. SpongeBob got up and dusted himself off. Sandy shook her head. Was she seeing things? Was she THAT obsessed with him to the point where she was hallucinating him? She witnessed SpongeBob get crushed under a building. It was scientifically impossible to survive that, even for a sponge! She thought aloud, "Okay, my mind is playin' tricks on me like a gerbil in an obstacle course. SpongeBob can't drop in on me like that! He got crushed by a building! Even for a sponge, he couldn't have survived that!" SpongeBob walked slowly up to her, trying to calm her down and prove to her that he was alive. "Sandy, I know you're shocked, but it's really me. I'm alive!" He smiled with assurance, but Sandy still shook her head. She continued backing away until she hit her back on the wall. She shouted, "SpongeBob, you're dead! I saw ya'll get pancaked by a building!" In her head, Sandy was beating herself up. Had she gone crazy? Was SpongeBob just a figment of her imagination? She didn't know. SpongeBob was within inches from her. He thought of a way that would make Sandy believe he was alive. There was one way, but it was a longshot. He took the chance. If he wanted to defeat Plankton, Sandy should be the first person to help.

Before Sandy could react, SpongeBob yanked off her air helmet, causing her to gasp in surprise. SpongeBob leaned in and met his lips with hers. He blushed heavily, because he had never kissed anyone before. Sandy stared and blushed in shock, disbelief, and delight. She also had never kissed before, but she knew now that SpongeBob was real and alive. Accepting this, she responded back, tears escaping her eyes. After about ten seconds of kissing, SpongeBob separated the kiss and popped Sandy's helmet back on. SpongeBob apologized, "Well, Sandy. As you can see, I am alive. I'm sorry for kissing you. It seemed like the best way to let you know I'm still here." All Sandy did was gasp, then yell with joy and ran into SpongeBob's arms, sobbing and laughing at the same time as soon as she felt the hug. SpongeBob really was alive, and hope had risen in Sandy again. Sandy let go of the hug and asked, "SpongeBob, I can't believe you're alive! How'd you survive the building collapsing on you?" SpongeBob shrugged, "I'm not sure. I remember getting crushed, but I woke up under the rubble as if I fell asleep."

Mindy heard Sandy and yelled from the other side, "Sandy! Are you okay? What's going on there?" Sandy approached to the door and yelled back, "Mindy! SpongeBob's alive!" Mindy gasped. Can it be? SpongeBob survived a building toppling on him? She asked to make sure what she said was true, "Is it true? Is he there?" SpongeBob talked audibly enough so the guards don't hear him, "Yeah, I'm okay Mindy!" She wanted to cheer and shout, but she knew the guards would hear them, so all she did was sigh with relief. She turned to Squidward and Patrick, both awake and confused. Squidward asked, "Mindy, what's going on over there? Why is Sandy freaking out now?" Mindy swam quickly towards them, beaming. She answered, "Squidward. SpongeBob's alive! He survived the attack! We gotta stay quiet. We don't want the guards to hear." Squidward sighed with happiness, but Patrick, who didn't listen to Mindy's command, yelled, "SPONGEBOB! YOU'RE ALIVE?!" Squidward quickly shut him up with his tentacle over his mouth, but he was too late. The guards headed their way. They turned to the cell Squidward, Mindy and Patrick were. Sandy gasped and whispered, "SpongeBob, hide behind the bunk beds. We can't let them see you. They also think you're dead." SpongeBob nodded and hid under the bunk beds. One guard asked, "What's going on here?! Why is tubby yelling about the sponge? Is what he claims true?" Mindy shook her head, "No! No, Sir! He was having a dream! Wasn't he, Squidward?" Squidward hastily nodded his head in agreement. Patrick tried shaking his head, but Squidward gave him an annoyed look. The guard sneered at the group, then turned to Sandy's cell. She gasped, noticing the vent opening on the ground. She quickly kicked it under the bunk bed, where SpongeBob hid. She jumped into the bottom bunk and went into a sleeping position. A guard looked into the cell and asked, "And you! Rodent! What's with the crying?" Sandy got up and answered, "I had another dream about my… umm.. boyfriend. I thought it was real until I woke up." She gulped, hoping the guard believed her. The guard gave her a glare, "Okay, but I got my eye on you, squirrel!" He and the other guard walked away and continued grabbing and brainwashing prisoners.

Sandy motioned SpongeBob that he could come out. She gave him another hug, "SpongeBob, we gotta hurry! Plankton's brainwashing all the prisoners! We need to get out of here and fight!" SpongeBob nodded, "You're right." He paused, then continued, "Sandy, I know this isn't the best time, but I've always wanted to say this since we started our journey. I love you, Sandy." A tear of joy slid down Sandy's eye. She said back, "I love you too, SpongeBob. I've known this all along but I just never realized it until this whole thing started." SpongeBob smiled, "Me too, Sandy." They pulled close into another hug. Awws were heard everywhere around them, but neither of them cared. They waited so long for this moment. A very heavy weight was lifted off their shoulders. Patrick sniffled, "My best friend is finally growing up!" He wiped a tear from his eye. Squidward couldn't help but smile as well, "It's honestly about time, too." Mindy smiled, happy that SpongeBob and Sandy were happy.

SpongeBob let go of the hug, a burst of confidence coursing through him. He looked at Sandy, who smiled back. He smirked, "Sandy, let's save the world!" Sandy smirked as well and nodded. Moments later, Sandy grabbed the cell bars with all her might. In about five seconds, she broke the bars off the cement walls and floor. The guards heard the wreckage and ran their way. SpongeBob quickly pulled out his spatula, bent it and threw it like a boomerang. He hit the two guards, knocking them out. SpongeBob stopped and grabbed Sandy's shoulders, "You free the rest of the prisoners. I'll deal with Plankton. It's like my destiny. Back me up as soon as possible." Sandy nodded, "Okay. Please be careful, SpongeBob. I don't want to lose you… again." They made a quick hug and split up. Sandy tore at the cell doors, freeing every prisoner and telling them to join her and SpongeBob for the final fight.

SpongeBob stopped in front of the large double doors to Plankton's throne room. He took another deep breath. He used his spatula to break the locks on the doors and pushed them open. The first thing he saw was an entire fleet of robots, guards, and brainwashed prisoners, all pointing weapons and fists straight at him. Plankton was behind the army. He shouted, "Well, well, so what the guard said was true! SpongeBob Squarepants DID survive. Well, let's fix that! Say hello to my unstoppable army!" SpongeBob gasped in fear. He didn't expect this. He thought he was going to be unexpected. He felt an arm on his shoulder. Sandy stood by him with an assuring face. Behind the two were all the prisoners, including his friends and Neptune and Mindy. SpongeBob once again gained confidence now that he knew that he had backup. He began a speech, "Everyone! This is it. Plankton's in the other room just waiting for us! This is where we all fight so we can all be free and return to our daily lives. We gotta overthrow Plankton and restore the crown back to Neptune, and as long as we all have each other, we'll be unstoppable!" He glanced at his friends and Sandy, who all gave him encouraging smiles and smirks. The rest of the crowd was nervous and skeptical of their chances, but they knew SpongeBob was right. If they stuck together, the battle would be over quickly. SpongeBob faced forward again, took a deep breath, and yelled at the top of his voice, "CHARGE!" Everyone sprinted through the double doors. Robo-Commander motioned the army, and they all sprinted towards SpongeBob and the group. The final battle had begun.

**Hope you enjoyed. Next chapter might be up tomorrow!**


	18. Chapter 17: All Out War

**The big battle is here! Enjoy!**

Chapter 17: All Out War

The two groups collided. Battles took place everywhere in the throne room. SpongeBob drove through two guards and slashed a large robot in half through its torso with his spatula. He then vaulted and smacked a guard in the head, knocking him out. SpongeBob then turned around and saw two small robots rolling his way. He made a stance with his spatula, and swung it like a baseball bat at both robots. The two robots were sent flying into the wall in the far end and both exploded on impact.

Patrick stopped dead in his tracks after seeing all the robots. He looked around as everyone engaged into battle. He spotted Sandy karate kicking a robot in its center. He tapped her, "Hey, Sandy, what exactly are we doing right now?" Sandy yelled, "There's no time for chit-chat, Patrick! You gotta fight!" Patrick was still confused, "Why are we fighting again?" Sandy sighed frustratingly, "To free the sea from Plankton's wrath and restore the throne back to Neptune!" Patrick had one more question, "Well what's in it for me? What's my motivation?" Sandy smacked her helmet. This starfish will eventually be the death of her. She glared at him and yelled, "They called ya'll…. I don't know… tubby, I guess!" Upon hearing the word "tubby," Patrick suddenly went into a fit of rage. He screamed, "TUBBY?! NOBODY CALLS ME TUBBY!" He grabbed a small robot that rolled at him and threw it with all his might. It crashed clean through two larger robots and exploded on impact on a guard, sending the guard flying before landing on his head, knocking him out. Patrick pounded his chest like an angry gorilla before springing into action. Sandy couldn't help but laugh at his blind, dumb rage.

Sandy turned back in front of her. Three robots ran or rolled her way. Sandy made a karate stance. She grabbed the robot in the middle and threw it into the air. It landed on the ground and exploded. Sandy turned around to spot a buff guard. He tackled her and tried pinning her down. Sandy struggled, but due to her strength, she managed to switch positions and pin him down. She grabbed his arm and swung him at a large robot, destroying it and knocking out the guard. She panted for a second before she lunged at a large robot aiming its missiles at her. She dodged them and roundhouse kicked the robot's head off.

An hour passed and the battle was almost over. SpongeBob, his friends, and the rest of the prisoners seemed close to victory. Plankton kept a smirk on his face. He had more moves up his sleeve, or stub. After the last robot was destroyed and the last guards were knocked out or immobilized, the group panted but glared at Plankton. More than half of the group was okay, while the rest were knocked out or brainwashed. SpongeBob regained his breath and yelled, "Is that all you got, Plankton?!" Plankton stood from his throne and shouted, "SpongeBob, you gullible little fool. Do you really think robots and guards are all I got? Since you guys want a challenge, here's wave two!" He picked up his scepter, activated its flames and shot it at a red curtain. Behind the curtain, dozens of large tanks and giant robots appeared. They were the same robots that killed SpongeBob in Marlin Marina. Dennis, The Strangler, Flats and Manray were all in front, along with Robo-Commander right behind them. SpongeBob gulped. Patrick screamed and Sandy took a deep breath. The rest of the group gasped fearfully. The tanks and robots then started sprinting.

The entire group except SpongeBob, Patrick, Sandy, Mindy and Neptune backed off. Plankton laughed evilly, "Fools! I told you I had a well thought out plan! Nobody comes out of here alive or free!" Patrick walked slowly and shakily to SpongeBob, who also shook fearfully. Patrick whispered, "S-S-SpongeBob, I wanna go home!" SpongeBob was too afraid to respond. Sandy was also scared, but she was dedicated to finish this mission to win back Neptune's throne. Determination overtook her fear and she went up and placed a hand on SpongeBob's shoulder, "SpongeBob, whatever happens, I'll always be here. Texan promise." She smiled and placed a hand on her heart to signify that she was certain to keep her promise. SpongeBob took a deep breath and smiled back, "Thanks, Sandy. I'm ready." He took out his spatula again and made a stance. Sandy made a karate stance. Patrick sighed and made a stance next to SpongeBob. Their determination prompted the rest of the group to move back up and make stances. They must stay together as a team if they wanted to get out alive.

Plankton roared, "DESTROY THEM!" The tanks and robots pushed up. SpongeBob and the group collectively made a battle cry and pushed up as well. One tank fired and hit a group of prisoners. Surprisingly, it did not use explosive ammunition. It released a pink gas. Sandy gasped. She had seen this gas before. The smoke cleared, and the people affected by the gas came out unconscious. Knockout gas! SpongeBob gasped, "Knockout gas?! Plankton, you're taking this too far!" All Plankton did was laugh. The tank aimed at SpongeBob and fired. He barely dodged out of the way.

Sandy ran quickly through all the gas. Because she wore an air helmet, she was unaffected by the knockout gas. She pulled the tank door open and pulled out the guard inside. She successfully hijacked the tank. She turned the gun at Plankton's robots and fired. The robots got heavily damaged by the impact of the bullet shell and knocked out the guards in nearby tanks. She yelled, "YEE-HAW!" She then spotted Robo-Commander targeting her. She automated the tank to fire in three seconds, removed the knockout shell and placed herself in the nozzle, and the tank fired. Sandy burst out of the tank and blasted straight through Robo-Commander's power source, destroying them. Sandy crashed into the wall and recovered quickly. She ran back toward her tank and decided to do more damage. Meanwhile, SpongeBob sliced a robot in half. He bent and threw his spatula at another, slicing its head clean off. He dodged another gas shell and used his spatula to break the window of the tank. He smacked the guard inside and crawled out, ready to do more damage.

Before he could make any moves, SpongeBob suddenly got grabbed by The Strangler and Dennis, both of whom were still injured by Sandy's attack on them on the second day of her and SpongeBob's journey. They held his arms and held him high so he could not get away. Flats cracked his knuckles and laughed, "Well, look who decided to show up? I bet you remember what you did to me. You humiliated me! Now you will pay! Now for a REAL butt kicking!" SpongeBob flinched, expecting some painful blows. SpongeBob then heard an explosion nearby. Flats fell down, unconscious. Sandy showed up in the tank she hijacked, smirking, "Nobody messes with SpongeBob when I'm around!" She jumped out of the tank and lunged at the Strangler. The Strangler screamed and backed away. Sandy punched his stomach and kneed his head, knocking him out again.

She turned to Dennis, who pulled out his knife. He shouted, "I am NOT losing to you again, rodent!" Sandy yelled back, "I'm gonna send you flyin' all the way back to Texas!" Sandy sprinted towards Dennis, who held his knife. SpongeBob gasped and flew his spatula at Dennis, hoping for it to make him drop his knife in time for Sandy to strike unharmed. Fortunately, his hope came true. The spatula hit Dennis's wrist, knocking the knife from his hand. The knife landed on its blade in the ground. Dennis yelled in pain, opening Sandy up to attack him. She karate kicked his stomach, knocking his breath off. He fell, and Sandy started punching Dennis's head. She punched him brutally and repeatedly until he lost consciousness.

She stopped and panted. She looked at SpongeBob who stared back. She smiled weakly. SpongeBob smiled back before looking around. The prisoners hijacked all the tanks and knocked out the remaining guards and destroyed the rest of the robots. Plankton growled. SpongeBob glared, "Had enough, Plankton?! You're not getting away with all this!" Plankton laughed evilly, "Stupid kid! You think that's all I have against you? I've been saving the best for last!" SpongeBob yelled, "And what's that?" Plankton pulled down a rope next to him, "THIS!" He pulled down the rope. A large hidden compartment in disguise in the ceiling opened up, revealing hundreds of upgraded bucket helmets! Everybody screamed and headed for shelter, guarding their heads while running. Some of the people made it safely to shelter, while buckets fell on others' heads. SpongeBob and Sandy sprinted as fast as they could. They ran towards the end of the throne room. Mr. Krabs, Patrick, and Squidward were already there, scared but alright.

SpongeBob heard Sandy scream from behind him. He looked around and gasped. A bucket helmet landed on her head, breaking her air helmet in the process. She screamed, "SPONGEBOB! HELP! GET THIS THING OFF ME!" SpongeBob grabbed the helmet and tried helping her pull it off, but its grip was too strong. Plankton laughed loudly and pressed the red button on his remote control. The buckets blinked red. Sandy stopped struggling. In monotone, Sandy and the other victims of the buckets collectively chanted, "All hail Plankton." Sandy pushed SpongeBob off. Scared, he backed away. He glared at Plankton and screamed, "YOU MONSTER!" Plankton laughed. The brainwashed people started chasing the rest of the prisoners. Sandy stood up and started following SpongeBob. He backed away to the middle of the room. He stopped when he heard Plankton's voice, "Now, SpongeBob. It's time for you to face your fate! What better way to finally kill you than let your own little girlfriend do it for me? Sandy, eliminate SpongeBob!" Sandy stopped walking and chanted, "All hail Plankton." She made a karate stance. SpongeBob gulped. He had to get that helmet off of her, but that would mean one thing. He would have to fight her.

**Hope you enjoyed! The story gets crazier!**


	19. Chapter 18: Battle Between Two Lovers

**Intense chapter ahoy! Enjoy!**

**Also, Purplela Vanilla, you indeed saw this on SBMania, but I fixed grammar mistakes and added bits and pieces to the story and will be posting the completed product here.**

**Thanks to everyone reading and enjoying the story so far! It's really appreciated! :D**

Chapter 18: Battle Between Two Lovers

SpongeBob made a defensive karate stance. He wanted to get that helmet off Sandy while inflicting as little pain as possible to her. Sandy started running at him. She did a reverse kick, kicking the side of SpongeBob's head, sending him flying into the air. Sandy jumped up and grabbed the corner of his head, throwing him down with full force. SpongeBob landed hard, creating a crater on the ground. Sandy landed and started walking slowly toward SpongeBob. "All hail Plankton," Sandy chanted. SpongeBob stood up. He had to beat her, but he knew certainly well how much stronger and more skilled she was at karate than him. He took another karate stance. Sandy lunged at him and tackled him. SpongeBob landed on top and grabbed the helmet, but it would not come off. Sandy punched him off then grabbed him with her tail and threw him back into the ground. SpongeBob landed on his back. Sandy landed on top of him and started mercilessly punching his face.

Mindy gulped, praying that SpongeBob could pull the helmet off and save the day. Patrick shook in horror that his best friend was getting beat up. He yelled, "SpongeBob! I'm coming to help you, buddy!" He started running towards SpongeBob and Sandy but was stopped instantly by Squidward. "No," he argued, "You might hurt SpongeBob, and I'm guessing he's trying to free Sandy without hurting her too much. We'll just have to watch and wait." Patrick did what Squidward said, but he was still scared for his best friend. Mr. Krabs couldn't watch as the two new-found lovers fought against both of their wills. Everyone was on edge at the fight going on between a scared and reluctant SpongeBob and a brainwashed Sandy, and it concerned them even more that Sandy seemed to be winning.

SpongeBob rolled away before Sandy was able to deliver another blow. He was bruised and scratched beyond belief. He had a black eye and scars all around his face. His clothes were torn and his breathing pattern was out of control. Sandy stood up and chanted, "All hail Plankton." SpongeBob made another stance, but his strength was dwindling as each second passed. He had little hope at this point. He then remembered the Explosive Aerial Combo. He didn't know if he could perform it at the condition he was in, but it seemed like the best way to subdue her enough to get that helmet off. Sandy ran toward SpongeBob again. SpongeBob performed a reverse roundhouse kick and hit Sandy in the helmet. He then moved up and punched her in the stomach and tripped her with a sweeping kick. She recovered and attempted to high kick him. SpongeBob kicked her pivot leg, causing her to lean forward in pain. SpongeBob then uppercut her, sending her into the air. That was his moment. SpongeBob jumped high into the air and hit her eight times in the air and performing the level four explosion. This caused Sandy to land in the ground with extreme force, causing a large crater in the ground.

Everyone else in the room flinched. SpongeBob landed next to the crater then slid down it. He found Sandy's silhouette on the ground, but couldn't see the result of his attack. After all of the smoke cleared, SpongeBob gasped. He successfully broke Sandy's bucket helmet, but because the helmet broke her air helmet, she had no air to breathe. SpongeBob quickly sat on Sandy's side and pressed a button on her suit, causing another helmet to appear from within the suit. He reached into her suit and pulled out her flusher and flushed all the water out of Sandy's suit. Everyone stared anxiously at the crater, hoping SpongeBob and Sandy could climb out okay. SpongeBob held Sandy's head on his lap and silently prayed that she was alive. Sandy coughed and breathed rapidly, gasping for air. After she calmed down, she looked up and noticed SpongeBob looking down at her, concerned. She smiled weakly and whispered dryly, "SpongeBob." Tears appeared in SpongeBob's eyes. He saved his new girlfriend's life. He hugged her and sobbed happily, "Oh, Sandy! You're okay!" Sandy smiled and hugged back.

Moments later, SpongeBob let go of the hug and helped her on her feet. One of her legs was hurt after SpongeBob kicked it during the fight, but she was okay nonetheless. SpongeBob said to her, "Now to finish Plankton." Everyone was still silently waiting for someone to come out of the crater. Mindy started hyperventilating. Squidward's teeth chattered. Patrick shook violently with fear, rapidly biting his nails. Mr. Krabs sweated profusely. Neptune was staring with his fists clenched. To everyone's surprise and delight, they saw two pairs of hands reaching up. SpongeBob climbed up first, then assisted Sandy who looked weak but alright. Everyone cheered. Plankton screamed, "NOOOO!" SpongeBob and Sandy panted, both tired after their fight. SpongeBob and Sandy both walked around the crater. Sandy tripped due to her sore leg. SpongeBob tried to help her up, but she stopped him, "I'm okay, SpongeBob. Just confront that varmint Plankton and finish this." SpongeBob nodded and continued toward Plankton. Plankton growled. This sponge just won't quit! He started sweating. If nobody can kill SpongeBob, Plankton would have to eliminate him himself.

Plankton looked at his scepter. He remembered that it had the function of conjuring flames. Plankton knew that SpongeBob would just survive if he aimed at him. He glanced at Sandy, who was slowly limping toward SpongeBob. Plankton smirked. He ignited the scepter. SpongeBob gasped but stood his ground. Sandy stopped limping and stared at the scepter. Plankton aimed it at Sandy, and fired. Sandy gasped and flinched. SpongeBob gasped in shock. He then sprinted as fast as he could. He screamed, "NOOOOO!" As Plankton expected, SpongeBob jumped in front of Sandy as the flames hit him. Sandy stared at SpongeBob, whose scream filled the entire room. SpongeBob landed across the room. Sandy screamed, "NOOOOOOOO!" Everyone else gasped. Mindy covered her mouth with her hands as she gasped in horror and in grief. Patrick burst into tears. Squidward and Mr. Krabs glanced at each other in fright. Anger filled Neptune. He yelled, "That scepter is not meant to kill a hero!" Plankton laughed and cheered, "I just murdered SpongeBob!" Neptune swam up and shouted, "OH NO YOU DON'T!" He grabbed the scepter in Plankton's hand. It was time for him to take back his throne.

Sandy sprinted to SpongeBob. She gasped when she saw what was left of her lover. SpongeBob was burnt to a crisp. Chunks of his spongy body were missing. One of his buck teeth was chipped. Tears appeared in Sandy's eyes at the sight. She held him in her arms and whispered, "Y-You saved my life." SpongeBob opened his eyes slightly. He smiled weakly and whispered, his breath heavy, "Sandy… I… love… you… I'll never.. let anyone… hurt you." Sandy held his hand. She smiled and whispered, tears rolling down her cheeks, "I love you too, Spongy. Always and forever." SpongeBob smiled again. Sandy leaned into a hug. SpongeBob hugged back, closing his eyes as he took his last breath, happy that the last thing he would see was the woman he loved. Sandy's heart was beating rapidly, feeling nothing but pure love for her SpongeBob. Moments later, his hands dropped. Sandy separated quickly after feeling SpongeBob let go. She whispered, "No…. He can't be…" She started shaking SpongeBob, "SpongeBob, no! Please don't leave me… SpongeBob! SpongeBob!" He didn't move. Sandy whispered as more tears appeared, losing hope, "Spongy… Please…" Her voice started breaking, "Please… Please…"

It was no use. SpongeBob laid dead in her arms. Sandy gritted her teeth in extreme grief. She fought the tears that wanted to pour out of her eyes. Mindy gasped, "No.." Squidward looked down and shook his head mourning SpongeBob's death. He suddenly regretted all the times he was mean to the poor sponge throughout the years. Tears appeared in Mr. Krabs' eyes, "No.. It's over. Plankton has won!" He burst into tears. Patrick fell to the ground crying, "NOOO! SPONGEBOB!" Words cannot describe the loss of a best friend, especially one as happy as SpongeBob. The rest of the crowd either gasped in disbelief or looked at the ground in grief. The person who suffered the most from this loss was Sandy. The room was spinning as she looked at her dead boyfriend, tears still fighting to escape her eyes. Nothing but gasps escaped Sandy's mouth. She couldn't move nor speak. Moments later, she lost it. She burst into tears and rested her head as close as she possibly could to SpongeBob, crying harder than she ever cried before. She started saying SpongeBob's name repeatedly as she wept, refusing to believe that he was dead. The fact that he sacrificed his life to save hers caused her to love him infinitely more than ever. The one thought of SpongeBob being dead caused Sandy to be tempted to throw her air helmet off. Her heart was swelling with total pain and grief. She held one of SpongeBob's hands and held it close to her heart, enclosing it with both of her hands. Sandy laid down, cuddling SpongeBob's body as closely and tightly as possible. She buried her head and her helmet as close to SpongeBob's chest as possible and whispered repeatedly, "I love you, Spongy." She was so new to love that losing her first love felt like the end for her.

**SpongeBob is dead, and Sandy cannot bear the thought. What will she do from here? Stay tuned for more!**


	20. Chapter 19: Retribution

**We finally find out what Sandy will do after Plankton kills her SpongeBob. Enjoy!**

Chapter 19: Retribution

Plankton shook Neptune off, causing him to careen into a metal pillar head-first, knocking him out. Plankton laughed evilly, "Now that SpongeBob's gone, now to get rid of my other main threat!" Though Sandy heard him, she didn't care anymore. With SpongeBob dead, what was the point of living for her? She whispered to SpongeBob's corpse silently, "I don't care if I die, Spongy. If I die, I'll join you in the great beyond, and we'll be together forever…" She trailed off as she continued crying.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, Sandy's fists clenched. She opened her eyes as her grief was replaced with nothing but pure rage. She let go of SpongeBob's body and stood up with a frightening and threatening glare on her face. She growled under her breath, "You killed him… YOU KILLED HIM!" Her breathing was still rapid. All Plankton did was smirk, "Foolish squirrel! If your precious SpongeBob couldn't stop me, how can you?" Sandy growled, "YOU KILLED SPONGEBOB, AND NOW I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" Flames burned in her eyes and feelings of utter love and rage fueled her heart. Tears still escaped her eyes as she looked at her love's killer. She was going to avenge him. She had to finish the mission SpongeBob was sent to complete. Some of the people in the crowd started to cheer her on. Mindy smiled. Sandy's not letting SpongeBob's death be in vain. She looked around to see that Patrick, Squidward and Mr. Krabs joined in the crowd, who started to chant Sandy's name. Mindy took this chance to wake her father up. Plankton growled, "NO!" The crowd continued chanting to motivate Sandy, tears in some of their eyes as they could feel the love that bound her and SpongeBob. Plankton roared, "OKAY YOU ALL ASKED FOR IT! KAREN, BRING OUT MORE REINFORCEMENTS!" Karen turned to Plankton, "Since when did you have reinforcements? I thought the tanks were the last resort.." Plankton interrupted, "Well I lied!" Karen sighed and opened a garage-like door that was conveniently placed next to Plankton's throne. A bunch of small robots rolled out with electric batons and large fists.

Sandy started walking, slowly and menacingly towards Plankton. He was her prime target. She didn't care for the robots. She just kept walking slowly. Every robot that crossed her path was destroyed in cold blood. She kicked one with ease, then power punched another. She grabbed one unlucky robot with one hand then broke it in half and threw its remains on the ground. Plankton growled, but deep inside, he was afraid. Karen faced her husband, "Told you. That squirrel has charisma and strength. You better do something to her or she'll overthrow you back."

Plankton lost it and stood up, scepter in hand. He faced Sandy, who stared back. She had seen enough Western movies to know that this was a classic standoff. In the background, everyone else was fighting the remaining robots. Plankton and Sandy glared at each other. Tears still rolled down Sandy's cheeks. Plankton saw this, "You know you can't beat me, squirrel! SpongeBob's dead and you're just a teary mess. You also seem to have forgotten that I'm the supreme ruler of the sea! NOBODY stands a chance against me!" Sandy growled. She had enough of Plankton. She wanted to get rid of him for good. She yelled, "I don't care for any of that! You killed SpongeBob, and now there's nothin' here stoppin' me from beating your behind to death! I'm here to finish what he started and I'm here to avenge him!" Plankton ignited his scepter while Sandy started sprinting at him. She made a fierce battle cry as she sprinted towards the protozoa. Plankton fired his scepter. Sandy promptly dodged it and performed a hard kick in Plankton's center, causing him to get knocked back. Plankton growled. Due to his increased height as king, he had an advantage over Sandy, but Sandy's speed and strength easily countered Plankton's height advantage. Sandy dodged Plankton's punch and slid between his legs. She climbed on his back and hung on his antennae, then she swung her legs into Plankton's eye. Plankton screamed in pain as he started rubbing his eye, shaking Sandy off of him.

Meanwhile, Mindy was busy trying to wake her unconscious father up, "Daddy! Wake up! Sandy's in trouble and SpongeBob's dead!" She repeatedly shook Neptune, refusing to give up. Back in the action, Sandy used her strength to grab Plankton by his antennae and throwing him on the ground. Plankton took a moment to recover and swung his scepter like a bat, hitting Sandy across the room and into a wall. Luckily for her, her helmet didn't break. She got up to see Plankton aiming at her with the ignited scepter. He fired it straight at Sandy, who narrowly dodged it. Plankton started running at her. Sandy made a karate stance and waited. Plankton suddenly jumped over her and fired his scepter again. Sandy tried dodging, but the fire hit her tail. Sandy screamed in pain while Plankton laughed evilly. She fell to her knees as she groaned in pain. She felt her tail, which was burnt beyond belief. She panted and got back up. Plankton aimed his scepter at her again. Sandy lunged for him again. Plankton grabbed her by her legs and slammed her into the ground, nearly paralyzing her. Sandy screamed even louder as pain filled her entire body.

Plankton walked up to the fallen squirrel. Sandy tried crawling away, but Plankton kicked her in the stomach, causing her to groan in pain and lay on her aching back. Sandy panted fearfully. She tried to roll back onto her stomach, but the pain unbearable even for her. Plankton stood over her smirking, "I told you not to mess with me, and now you'll pay the ultimate price!" He laughed evilly. Sandy stared at him fearfully and angrily, tears starting to escape her eyes again.

Mindy saw the scene in progress and started shaking her father faster, "Dad! Daddy! Plankton's still attacking!" Neptune's eyes shot open. He held his sore head and got up. He asked Mindy, "Daughter? What's going on?" Before Mindy could answer, Neptune looked around and saw Plankton finishing Sandy off. Mindy gasped. Neptune glared, "This cannot be! He's abusing the crown! Plankton's not gonna get away with this! Not while I'm around!" Neptune started swimming his way to Plankton.

Meanwhile, Plankton started a speech, "Ladies and gentlemen, as king of the sea, I decree, YOUR TIME IS UP, SQUIRREL!" Sandy scared and started hyperventilating as Plankton's scepter ignited. Plankton aimed the burning scepter at Sandy's head, "You'll be joining your lover SpongeBob soon." Sandy started screaming, fearing the end for her. At least she would likely be able to see her darling sponge again. Accepting her fate, she closed her eyes, whimpering as tears rolled down her cheeks. As soon as the others stopped fighting the last robots, they gasped at what Plankton was about to do. Before he could fire, Neptune knocked Plankton out of the way, causing his scepter to fire at a wall instead of Sandy. Sandy gasped when she heard the scepter fire. She opened her eyes to see that she was alive. She looked around and saw Neptune battling Plankton again. Sandy also saw SpongeBob's body a few yards away. She rolled onto her stomach, which caused more pain to shoot throughout her entire body. She tried her best to ignore the pain, then started slowly crawling to her boyfriend's body.

Plankton growled and aimed the scepter at Neptune, but Neptune punched him square in the eye, causing Plankton to let go of the scepter. Neptune quickly grabbed the scepter and fired at Plankton, severely burning him. He then walked toward the fallen tyrant, who started begging for mercy, " Neptune, please! I wasn't planning to kill you or your daughter! I just wanted to lay waste to those who humiliated me time and time again!" Neptune wasn't buying it, "Plankton, never in my history as king of the sea have I seen an act as sinister and evil as your plans. I'll take that crown back if you don't mind!" He swiped the crown off of Plankton's head, causing him to shrink back into his old tiny height. Plankton looked around to see he was small again. He growled, "I may be small again, and I may not be the king of the sea anymore, but my main objective is complete! I rid the world of SpongeBob Squarepants!" He started laughing evilly again. Neptune shut him up by firing his scepter at him.

The final battle was over and Neptune was king of the sea again, but SpongeBob's death was too much of a tragedy for anyone to celebrate, but little did they know that Sandy held the key to bringing him back.

**We are almost done! Stay tuned!**


	21. Chapter 20: From Hero To Legend

**Last Chapter is here! Enjoy!**

Chapter 20: From Hero To Legend

Sandy crawled as quickly as she could to SpongeBob's body. The tears returned as she reached her dead lover. She cuddled with his body in a tight hug. She whispered, "SpongeBob, I can't help but think it's MY fault you're dead. I should've done something but I just stood there. Oh, SpongeBob! I miss you too much already! I can't live without you! I love you!" She hugged tighter, refusing to let go of him. She gave his forehead a shaky yet passionate kiss despite her air helmet being in the way. All of the physical pain she received from her fight with Plankton wore off by being with her deceased lover. She buried her head as close to SpongeBob as she could and continued weeping silently.

Everyone else was silent, looking down in sadness, some even in tears, mourning SpongeBob's death. Mindy, however, was deep in thought. She thought to herself aloud, "Wait. SpongeBob is the Pure Spirit. He sacrificed himself for Sandy. Even though he's dead, all he needs is his true love to revive him. The problem is that according to the True Love Scroll SpongeBob doesn't have a true love, yet every sea creature is listed. Then he brought Sandy along for the journey, who's a land critter, and the scroll doesn't list land critters. And the way they confessed their love before the final fight and the way Sandy cried when he died must not be coincidence. If Sandy is a land critter, and the scroll only lists the names of all sea creatures, and if there's no other name that indicates that SpongeBob has a true love, and if that means that SpongeBob's true love isn't a sea creature, then…" Mindy gasped. She screamed, "SANDY! IT'S YOU!" Sandy looked up, confused, "Huh?"

Before Mindy could explain, SpongeBob's corpse glowed and started floating. Sandy gasped and backed away. She stared, "SpongeBob?" As he was glowing, SpongeBob was transforming to his normal self. His wounds healed and his color reappeared. His chipped tooth became full again. The glow started fading and SpongeBob's body lowered back to the ground and landed softly. Sandy knelt next to him, "SpongeBob?" SpongeBob's eyes opened slowly. He shot up and looked around, "Huh? What happened to me?" Sandy cheered and hugged him, "SPONGEBOB! YOU'RE OKAY!" She started sobbing loudly in joy in SpongeBob's shoulder. Sandy whispered in SpongeBob's ear, "I thought you were gone.. I thought you were dead.." SpongeBob hugged tightly back, "I'm fine, Sandy! I'm alive!" Upon hearing this, the others looked up quickly and to their surprise and delight, they spotted SpongeBob, revived and okay. Instantly, they all cheered. Patrick and Mindy quickly ran up to the SpongeBob and Sandy. Mindy was the first to reach and hug them. Patrick grabbed the three into his arms and picked them up, and all started to laugh. Plankton screamed, "NOOOO! BUT I KILLED HIM! HOW IS HE ALIVE?!"

After Patrick put them down, Sandy asked SpongeBob, "What happened to you? How are you alive again?" SpongeBob answered, "Wait. I'm the Pure Spirit! That explains everything!" Patrick and Sandy were confused. Sandy asked, "The pure what?" Mindy explained, "I forgot to tell you guys back in the dungeon. Ever since he came back from Shell City, I found out that SpongeBob has a gift. He is a Pure Spirit, amongst the purest and happiest people in the world. Only a select few in the world have this gift. SpongeBob can conjure anything against all odds in order to save the lives of others." Sandy took it all in. She asked, "Then how do I have something to do with this?" Mindy continued, "I was just getting there. See, when a Pure Spirit sacrifices their life for another, then only his or her true love can revive them through romantic affection. That explains how SpongeBob survived the building collapsing on top of him. You revived him through affection without realizing it." Sandy gasped, "Wait, so I revived him? That means I'm his…" Sandy stopped and turned to SpongeBob. She beamed and pulled him into a big hug, laughing with joy. She couldn't believe it. She was SpongeBob's true love! She loved the thought, and made her love SpongeBob even more than she already did. SpongeBob laughed and hugged back. He was delighted at the fact that he did have a true love, and he was even happier that his true love was Sandy all along.

Neptune swam to the group, smiling, "I would like to thank you all for helping me restore my throne!" He turned to SpongeBob, "Especially you, SpongeBob." SpongeBob shook his head, "But I didn't do anything." Neptune laughed, "Of course you did! You never gave up, no matter how much the odds were against you. You also motivated us to fight for our freedom and confront Plankton despite how outnumbered we were. You thought of all of us before yourself. You also appear to have found true love on the way too." SpongeBob glanced at Sandy, and both blushed and smiled sweetly at each other. Neptune continued, "Your determination is what saved us the most, SpongeBob, and because of that, I thank you! I am forever in your debt!" He bowed. Everyone else in the room bowed to SpongeBob as well.

SpongeBob smiled, flattered at the bowing. Neptune got up and announced, "SpongeBob Squarepants and Sandra Cheeks, for your efforts and actions that helped save us all, I announce the both of you as official legends of the sea! Would you both like to be my personal knights in shining armor and my personal protectors?" Everybody cheered. SpongeBob and Sandy glanced at each other and sighed. SpongeBob answered, "I'm flattered by the offer, but Sandy and I just want to go back to Bikini Bottom and return everything to the way things used to be before Plankton destroyed everything." Neptune understood, "Very well. You can go back to your normal lives, but I will send Mindy here to call you if I ever need serious help." SpongeBob and Sandy both nodded. SpongeBob stepped forward, "Everyone, no life changing journey is ever complete without learning some important life lesson. Through this whole thing, I learned that even when the odds are against me, I should never give up hope. As long as the people that love me have my back, I'll be okay." He turned to Patrick, Squidward, Mindy and Mr. Krabs, who all smiled at him.

SpongeBob finally turned to Sandy, who smiled widely. He placed his hands with hers and continued, "I also learned that love overcomes all obstacles. Sandy, before this journey, I was afraid that we wouldn't be friends anymore, and I used this journey as a chance for us to be best friends again, but I realized that we ended the journey not as friends, but true loves. Thank you for helping me on this journey, Sandy. I couldn't have done any of this without you, especially since you revived me twice." Sandy smiled, "I thought the same thing, SpongeBob. Before the journey started, I thought ya'll would hate me for kicking you out all those times, but since the first night, I realized that you would never hate me. I've always loved you, SpongeBob, but I was just too afraid and skeptical to say it. I don't have to worry about that anymore, because I know it's true that we are meant to be." SpongeBob finished, "And now we'll be together forever." Tears appeared on both of their eyes as they looked at each other, love filling the air around them. They pulled into a big hug. Sandy believed that this wasn't enough for her, so she separated from the hug, to SpongeBob's surprise. She took a deep breath and took off her air helmet. SpongeBob took the hint and wrapped his arms around Sandy as he leaned in and closed his eyes. Sandy leaned in and the two fell into a passionate kiss. Everyone cheered for the two new-found lovers.

Patrick, Squidward and Mr. Krabs came up to SpongeBob and Sandy. Squidward was the first to speak, "You actually pulled through again, Squarepants. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I owe you big time. We would all be Plankton's slaves if it weren't for you and Sandy." SpongeBob smiled. Mr. Krabs walked up, "Lad, I never doubted you for a second. Ever since Shell City, I knew that you'd break through! I knew I could trust you, boy!" SpongeBob smiled, "Thanks, Mr. Krabs." Patrick then spoke, "You did it, buddy! You saved the world and won the game!" SpongeBob laughed as Patrick picked him up in a big bear hug. SpongeBob then started to suffocate due to Patrick's strength, "Pa-Patrick! Put me down! I can't… can't breathe!" Patrick gasped and put him down. He apologized, "Sorry, buddy." SpongeBob took a moment to regain his breathing pattern. Neptune swam in front of the group, "Come on, folks. Let's get you all back to Bikini Bottom. But first…" He ignited his scepter and aimed it at the large curtains at the edge of the room. He commanded, "Everyone out of the building!" SpongeBob and the group were among the first to leave the building. Everyone else ran as fast as they could to the immense double doors.

Moments later, everyone stood and stared as Planktopolis 2 burned to the ground from inside out. Neptune, SpongeBob, Sandy, and Mindy all turned around when they heard whimpering coming from behind. They spotted Plankton crying. Dennis, Manray, The Strangler, Karen, and Flats were all next to him, handcuffed and groaning in pain. Plankton groaned, "I was so close… I was SO CLOSE!" He started silently weeping again. Karen sighed, "I told you not to celebrate before it's really over." Plankton just kept weeping. Police boatmobiles and buses all arrived at the scene. Everyone cheered and entered the buses. The police arrested Plankton and his crew. Before being placed in a miniature cell, he growled and made a death glare at SpongeBob, Sandy, Mindy, and King Neptune, "YOU WILL ALL PAY! I WILL DESTROY YOU ALL WHEN I GET OUT OF HERE! STARTING WITH YOU TWO LOVEBIRDS! YOU HEAR ME? I WILL HAVE MY REVENGE!" He was then carried away in the police boatmobile. Sandy sighed, "For someone so tiny, Plankton has a huge temper." SpongeBob nodded his head in agreement. One final bus arrived, and SpongeBob and the group entered it, except Neptune and Mindy who entered their seahorse-drawn carriage. They all headed off to Bikini Bottom to celebrate.

The bus ride took one day as compared to the five-day walk. Everyone was finally rested and ready to exit the bus. Everyone exited one by one. Squidward was the first, followed by Mr. Krabs, then Patrick. SpongeBob and Sandy still stood by their seats. SpongeBob looked outside the window, nervous. He gulped. Sandy helped him to the front of the bus and stopped before the door. Sandy asked, "You ready, SpongeBob?" SpongeBob held her hand and nodded. The bus doors opened. SpongeBob and Sandy shielded their eyes at the sun's rays. They then heard chanting, "SpongeBob! SpongeBob! SpongeBob!" SpongeBob smiled widely, gripping Sandy's hand tighter. SpongeBob stepped down the bus as all of the Bikini Bottomites cheered and chanted his name. The town was still in ruins, but all of the robots were gone. Gary, freed from the pound, was waiting next to the bus doors. SpongeBob, who spotted him, cheered, "GARY! You're okay! Thank goodness!" He placed Gary on his head and took Sandy through the crowd.

Everyone in the town met up at Oyster Stadium to celebrate. SpongeBob received more thanks and made more autographs than he did after returning from Shell City. He told many of the folks that Sandy should also receive credit for saving the world. Sandy stood by his side, flattered at SpongeBob's modesty. The party lasted all day. SpongeBob and Sandy left at around midnight after SpongeBob told Patrick to take Gary home for him. They stopped in front of Sandy's treedome. Sandy placed her hands in SpongeBob's, "Thanks for bringing me home, Spongebob." SpongeBob smiled, "You're welcome, Sandy." Sandy then asked, "So do ya'll want to stay overnight? I wanna keep my promise from the first night. We can see a movie or eat or something." SpongeBob answered, "Sure! Let me just grab some stuff that might have survived." Sandy nodded, "Okay! See ya in a bit!"

SpongeBob headed back to Conch street. He gasped at the sight. His and Squidward's houses were both destroyed. He noticed Squidward crying at his front porch. SpongeBob wanted to comfort Squidward, but he was in a hurry for Sandy, so he continued on to what was left of his house. SpongeBob walked onto what was left and looked around for anything that was inside. He gasped again at the damage inside his home. He went up the stairs, which were mostly intact. His room was also mostly intact, except for some burn marks from fire, pictures fallen and the massive hole in the ground and ceiling. SpongeBob looked around for anything that he could take. He noticed something on the floor next to what was left of his bed. He picked it up and noticed the photo album of him and Sandy. He gasped as he opened the album and reminisced the good times again. He fought tears as he turned each page. He snapped out of it soon after and put the album in his pocket. He then remembered about Gary. He asked Patrick to take him home, but there was no sign of him. First, he checked Patrick's rock, which was entirely intact. He knocked on the rock, which opened after the second knock. After the rock opened, SpongeBob saw Patrick sleeping on the couch watching the television. Gary was at his side, annoyed by the starfish's loud snoring. Gary somehow jumped into SpongeBob's arms happily. SpongeBob laughed, "Oh, Gary! I missed that from you! Since our house is destroyed, you have to sleep here! I trust Patrick, Gary. I'm sleeping over at Sandy's and I can't have you sleep there because there's no air in her dome." Gary meowed sadly, but because he was intelligent for a pet, he understood. He put on earmuffs and slithered down next to Patrick's couch. He made one last meow before hiding in his shell. SpongeBob waved, "Goodnight Gary." He closed the rock and ran back to Sandy's treedome. Sandy spotted him from through her dome and promptly opened the door. SpongeBob, his air helmet already on, ran into her arms and panted. After he regained his breath, Sandy asked, "What took you so long? I almost fell asleep waiting." SpongeBob apologized, "Sorry, Sandy. My house was destroyed, I had to talk to Gary, and some other stuff." Sandy gasped when she heard SpongeBob's house was destroyed, "Oh no! I'm sorry to hear that, SpongeBob! How long would you like to stay here?" SpongeBob replied, "I don't know. I have to wait for Barg'N Mart to be repaired so I can buy a Pineapple Home in a Can again. It's okay, though. As long as you're here, I'll be just fine." Sandy smiled. She looked at the time on her tree. She sighed, "Three in the morning. Well, there goes our chance to do something tonight. Might as well sleep now." SpongeBob followed Sandy as they went up her stairs. She opened the door to her bathroom and turned on the water in the tub. She asked, "Will you be comfortable sleeping in here?" SpongeBob answered, "Sure, Sandy." He climbed in and removed his water helmet, but the photo album fell out of his pocket. Sandy heard this. He got into a comfortable position and relaxed. Sandy picked up the album, "SpongeBob, you still have this?" SpongeBob looked at Sandy and saw that she was holding the album. He answered, "Yeah! I found it in the rubble. I started reminiscing for a while. That's actually why I got here so late." Sandy asked, "Can I have a look tonight? I kinda wanted to reminisce too." SpongeBob nodded, "Sure, Sandy." Sandy smiled, "Well, goodnight, SpongeBob." SpongeBob smiled and responded, "Goodnight Sandy!" They briefly kissed. Sandy then turned off the bathroom lights. He closed his eyes. Before he knew it, SpongeBob fell into a deep sleep.

Meanwhile, Sandy was looking through her and SpongeBob's photo album. She grabbed a pencil conveniently placed on her nightstand. She erased the word, 'Friends' and wrote 'Together' so the album cover read altogether, "SpongeBob Squarepants and Sandy Cheeks: Together Forever." Sandy smiled as a tear slid down her cheek. She couldn't get over the fact that she and SpongeBob were true loves. She glanced at her bathroom to take a quick look at her true love. He was smiling in his sleep. Sandy thought, _I think he's dreaming about me._ She sighed happily and dreamily. She really did love him very much. She got out of bed for a moment and walked quietly to her love. She kissed his forehead and smiled. She walked back to bed and fell asleep. She was glad that she did not have a nightmare that night, but she dreamt instead of the future for her and her SpongeBob. She was truly excited for it.

The next day involved SpongeBob helping Mr. Krabs repair both Krusty Krabs. During his lunch break, SpongeBob asked Sandy if she wanted to watch the sunset at Jellyfish Fields after work like they used to when they first became friends. She obviously said yes. Six o'clock came by quickly. SpongeBob checked his watch and gasped. He yelled to Mr. Krabs, "Sir, it's six! I gotta go see Sandy!" Mr. Krabs laughed, "Okay, me boy. Off you go then! See you tomorrow!" SpongeBob waved and sprinted to Sandy's treedome. When SpongeBob was out of sight, Mr. Krabs chuckled, "Ah! About time the boy found love!"

SpongeBob knocked rapidly on Sandy's door, excited for the sunset. Sandy, just as enthusiastic, opened her door. SpongeBob asked, "So Sandy, you ready to go?" Sandy smiled widely, "You bet!" They ran toward Jellyfish Fields and found a random cliff. When they reached it, they sat down at the edge of the cliff and panted. Moments later, the sun hit the horizon of the fields. It was a beautiful sight as the sky turned a tropical orange, peach, red, pink and purple, combined with the light teal blue that filled the rest of the undersea sky. The bright green grass and seaweeds and the dark purple rocks all glowed the sun's color. SpongeBob and Sandy stared at the sight. They then stared at each other, smiling widely at each other. SpongeBob spoke, "Sandy, I missed this…. so much." Sandy replied, "Me too, SpongeBob." SpongeBob spoke again, "I can't believe this whole thing is over. Thanks again Sandy for coming with me. You saved my life and you never gave up on me." Sandy smiled, "Thanks, SpongeBob. I want to thank you for making my life down here so much better. What I said on the first night of our journey came straight from my heart. I really do love you, SpongeBob, always and forever." She placed her hands in SpongeBob's and smiled dearly. SpongeBob smiled back, "I love you too, Sandy. I just can't live without you." Sandy replied, a tear sliding down one of her cheeks, "Me neither, SpongeBob." After a while of staring amorously at each other, Sandy placed her hands on her helmet and took a deep breath. She took it off and held SpongeBob's hands again. They both stood up and started leaning in. Moments later, their lips met in a compassionate, loving kiss. After about thirty seconds, they separated from the kiss. Sandy put her helmet back on and sat back down. SpongeBob then wrapped his arm around Sandy's body. Sandy wrapped hers around his body and laid her head on his shoulders and they both stared again at the beautiful sunset before them, looking forward to their futures together. No longer were they friends. Now they were forever more.

It was all over. Their worries, their doubts, their life-changing and dangerous journey, all the threats among them; they were all over. SpongeBob had changed for the better throughout this whole experience. No longer was he a kid or a town hero. He was now a legend of the sea. With Sandy by his side, SpongeBob knew he would be safe and happy, forever.

**Hope you guys enjoyed! Don't fret! There's still an epilogue! Stay tuned!**


	22. Epilogue

**I feel generous so I decided to post the epilogue today as well. :) The end is here! Enjoy! Feedback is still appreciated!**

Epilogue

SpongeBob and Sandy saw each other every single day since they returned. After work, they always hung out with each other. They dated, watched movies, played karate, and even jellyfished together. They also performed extreme stunts, but none too dangerous to severely injure SpongeBob for Sandy's sake. SpongeBob and Patrick hung out during the day. They even convinced Squidward to join in, though he was a bit reluctant at first. Squidward came to really respect SpongeBob, and even considered himself his friend, although SpongeBob can still get a bit annoying. He appreciated SpongeBob's new-found maturity, especially since Sandy was around to control him. Mindy started visiting Bikini Bottom daily. She became SpongeBob's new other best friend, replacing Sandy's old spot. She hung out and played all of the games SpongeBob and his friends played. She really enjoyed her time, and Neptune was glad she was not a loner.

Plankton somehow escaped the royal prison. Karen's mobile computer remained, but her actual computer screen back at the Chum Bucket remained. Plankton vowed revenge on SpongeBob and Sandy for foiling his perfect plan, but because even his perfect plan failed, he gave up all hope for world domination, so he returned to his old routine of trying to steal the Krabby Patty formula and ultimately failing.

Bikini Bottom was slowly returning to normal, except for the memories of Plankton's wrath. Fortunately, the nightmares ended after only a week or two, depending on the person. Squidward and Gary stopped after a week. Mrs. Puff and Larry stopped having nightmares after two weeks. Sandy, because she got brainwashed again, took a stressful month for the nightmares to end. The nightmares got so bad that she slept over and cuddled with SpongeBob to help her calm down.

It took six months for Bikini Bottom to rebuild and continue daily life. The Bikini Bottomites, though traumatized by both Plan Z and the Perfect Plan, returned to their daily routine. The two Krusty Krabs were both rebuilt and back in business after a month. SpongeBob hired both Patrick and Sandy as employees of the Krusty Krab 2, that way so he could hang around with both of them without worrying about neglecting the other.

It was SpongeBob and Sandy's seven month anniversary as a couple. SpongeBob was at work, and Sandy was in her treedome, working on a special surprise experiment. She was racing time since SpongeBob would come over after work at six. She mixed two last chemicals and flipped a switch. It formed an explosion. Sandy waved off all the smoke, coughing and wheezing. She looked in her watch glass and saw the result. There were two glowing blue pills. She stared at it in awe, then checked the time. It was three in the afternoon. She sighed with relief. She had enough time to test the pill. Sandy pulled out a cage and took out the lab mouse, which was somehow conveniently not personified. She fed it the pill and dunked it in a water helmet. She waited for two hours hoping and praying that it worked and that it would be permanent. At five thirty, she rechecked the mouse, who was still scurrying about inside the water helmet. It did not make any air bubbles nor did it struggle to escape for fresh air. Sandy beamed and cheered, "I DID IT! I DID IT! I MADE SOMETHING THAT LETS ME BREATHE WATER!" She panted as a single tear slid down her cheek. She grabbed the other pill and promptly swallowed it. She felt jolts of pain from in her chest. She panted and fell to the ground. After about a minute, the pain stopped. Sandy noticed that she could still breathe air. She removed the mouse and picked up the water helmet. She took a deep breath of air before putting the water helmet on. After putting the helmet on, Sandy exhaled, and realized she was breathing water! She gasped. She really did it. After toiling day in and day out on an experiment so difficult and unlikely, she finally pulled through. She proved nature wrong and was able to breathe both air and water. What excited her the most was that she could be with SpongeBob without an air suit or helmet being in the way. She removed the water helmet, wanting to fully surprise SpongeBob with her new ability.

Sandy heard a knock on her door. She checked the time. It was six. She sprinted towards the door and opened it to reveal a grinning SpongeBob. He asked, "Hey, Sandy! You ready for the picnic?" Sandy answered, "Sure, SpongeBob! I'd love to!" Sandy ran to her door without her suit, which confused and concerned SpongeBob, "Uh, Sandy? Your suit! You might suffocate without it!" Sandy held in a laugh, "Don't be silly! I have a surprise for ya'll." She exited the treedome and looked through the dome window, straight at SpongeBob. SpongeBob gasped. Sandy was breathing water! SpongeBob ran towards Sandy, shocked and delighted. Sandy beamed at her boyfriend, "Now to do the first thing on my list when I start breathing water." She pulled SpongeBob into a deep kiss. Now that Sandy could breathe water, she no longer had to worry about holding her breath to kiss SpongeBob. After about a minute, she separated from the kiss, leaving SpongeBob dazed and staring dreamily at his girlfriend, "W-Wow Sandy! You breathing water is the best thing that ever happened between us!" Sandy giggled, "Now, where's your surprise?" SpongeBob snapped out of his daze and pulled a blindfold out of his pocket and wrapped it around Sandy's eyes. She laughed at this because she knew how much SpongeBob loved surprising her. SpongeBob started gently pushing her to their destination. Sandy heard kids playing around on a playground, boatmobiles driving by, people saying congratulations and thanks to both of them, and SpongeBob's giggles from behind.

After about ten minutes of walking, SpongeBob stopped Sandy, "We're here!" He removed Sandy's blindfold and asked, "Do you recognize this place?" Sandy looked around. They were surrounded by large formations of purple rocks. Sandy shrugged, "I'm not sure." SpongeBob giggled again, "I'll give you a hint." He started running toward a sloped and curved long rock formation. He started running along the rock and yelled, "I'M SPONGEBOOOOOOOOOOOOOB!" He made a few backflips before landing on one of his corners. He laughed aloud as he landed. Sandy gasped, "Now I remember! This is where we first met!" SpongeBob stopped laughing, "Correct m'lady! Now let's get this picnic ready!" Sandy nodded and helped him organize the picnic. Little did she know that SpongeBob had another surprise for her. He brought her and the picnic to the site where the two first met for a reason.

SpongeBob and Sandy ate quietly. SpongeBob waited for the perfect time to ask Sandy the most important question of both of their lives. Sandy was thinking of a way to tell her bosses and family about her breakthrough. She was also glad that she invented her water-breathing pill on the day of their picnic. She liked eating underwater without that clunky suit getting in the way. She also looked at SpongeBob and noticed that he was also deep in thought. Sandy wondered what he was thinking. SpongeBob glanced at Sandy as he finished all of his food. He stood up and walked towards a nearby hill so they could see the sun set. Sandy stared as SpongeBob walked away from her. Concern grew inside her as she stood up and followed him, disregarding what remained of the picnic. SpongeBob sat at the edge of the hill, staring at the sunset. He heard Sandy walking towards him. She sat down next to him and asked, "Why'd ya'll leave, SpongeBob?" SpongeBob answered, "Because I wanted to tell you something and I needed some space to think."

He stood up and sighed. Sandy stood up as well and looked at him concerned. SpongeBob looked back at her and thought, _It's time. Be ready, SpongeBob. Be a man! There's no backing out now!_ He was more nervous than he ever was before in his life. He rehearsed it the night before and the whole day at work. He shook the fear. He had to be a man this time. No screwing up. SpongeBob grabbed Sandy's hands, "Sandy, ever since our journey seven months ago, you made me the happiest sponge alive. You've been my friend for years, and every memory we've had hold so dear to me, but now I want to spend the rest of my life with you." SpongeBob kneeled and pulled a small black box out of his pocket. He opened it to reveal a golden ring with a glistening pearl as the gem. Taking the hint, Sandy gasped, covering her mouth with both of her hands as tears of joy escaped her eyes. Smiling, SpongeBob asked, "Sandy Cheeks, will you marry me, and make me the happiest sponge ever?" Sandy screamed, "YES! YES, SPONGEBOB! YES!" She flew into his arms in a loving hug. She started sobbing happily. SpongeBob couldn't help but let some tears escape his eyes as well. Sandy slightly let go of the hug to smile widely at her new fiancé, "You make me so happy! I love you so much, Spongy! With all my heart!" She leaned in and kissed SpongeBob passionately. SpongeBob separated from the kiss, "I love you too, Sandy. Now we'll be together. Forever." He wiped a tear rolling down Sandy's cheek. She smiled and leaned into a tight hug. They felt their hearts beating together in rhythm, feeling nothing but joy and love. They sat back down and cuddled tightly as they glowed with the setting sun. This was the best day of both of their lives.

The wedding ceremony would take place two weeks later at the royal palace. Mindy and Neptune both easily agreed to let their palace be the location where their two legends of the sea could get married. Mindy cheered at the news and couldn't help but tear up at the thought of the true loves being so happy. Patrick and Squidward were chosen to be the best men, while Gary became ring bearer. Mr. Krabs was in charge with catering the wedding guests with Krabby Patties. During the two-week preparation, Sandy messaged her family back at Texas about both her scientific breakthrough and her marriage. She hoped that her parents approved SpongeBob, especially at how trustworthy and friendly he was. SpongeBob also notified his family, who still never met Sandy.

One week passed. Sandy was honorably retired from Treedome Enterprises after her breakthrough. She never had to invent nor worry about moving out of Bikini Bottom ever again. Her and SpongeBob's parents all met in front of SpongeBob's pineapple. The meeting and introductions were awkward and full of tension. After realizing how happy SpongeBob and Sandy were together, that is, holding each other crying as their parents yelled at each other, all of the parents finally gave in and consented for the marriage to happen, which greatly relieved SpongeBob and Sandy.

The next week passed, and the royal palace was decorated a heavenly white full of cardigans and vines designed and decorated by Squidward and financed by Mr. Krabs, who was reluctant at first but did it for SpongeBob's happiness. The ceremony began at noon. Almost all of Bikini Bottom was there, including the families of both SpongeBob and Sandy. SpongeBob walked down the hall, holding Sandy's mother, who smiled at him. She was the only parent that did want SpongeBob and Sandy together during the parental meetup. She escorted SpongeBob to the front. He glanced at Patrick and Squidward. Squidward smiled slightly back while Patrick was staring at Mindy again. SpongeBob held back a laugh at Patrick then stared at the doors, waiting for the bride.

Sandy was getting prepared, with Mrs. Puff and Pearl pampering her. Pearl was slightly disheartened that SpongeBob, who she considered a final reserve, was getting married, but she realized how happy SpongeBob was with Sandy. Mrs. Puff was delighted to help because Sandy helped SpongeBob finally get his driver's license. Sandy sighed happily, "I can't believe I'm getting married to SpongeBob! I thought this would never happen!" Pearl smiled, "Well, you know what they say, Sandy, love always finds a way." They stopped their discussion when they heard the music.

The ceremony began. Sandy took a deep breath. This was it. The moment she had been looking forward to. The doors opened and Sandy slowly walked down the hall. Everyone stared and smiled as she passed by. SpongeBob smiled widely at his beloved as she stopped next to him. The priest, conveniently the same one that was at the fake play wedding, began. SpongeBob whispered, "You look beautiful, Sandy." Sandy glanced at her lover. She smiled and whispered back, "Ya'll look handsome as well, Spongy." The priest continued his speeches as SpongeBob and Sandy looked at each other, smiles permanently printed on their faces.

About twenty minutes passed as the priest started finishing the ceremony. He turned to SpongeBob, "SpongeBob, do you take Sandy as your lawfully wedded wife? Do you cherish her friendship and love her today, tomorrow and forever? Do you trust and honor her, laugh with her and cry with her? Will you be faithful through good times and bad, in sickness and in health as long as you both shall live?" SpongeBob answered, "I do." Sandy started tearing up. The priest turned to Sandy, "Sandy, do you take SpongeBob as your lawfully wedded husband? Do you cherish his friendship and love him today, tomorrow and forever? Do you trust and honor him, laugh with him and cry with him? Will you be faithful through good times and bad, in sickness and in health as long as you both shall live?" Sandy, her voice breaking, said, "I do." The priest finished, "Then with the power invested in me, I hereby pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride." SpongeBob and Sandy stared at each other smiling, tears going down their cheeks. They leaned in slowly and fell into the most loving kiss of their lives. Everybody in the room cheered. Yee-haws and applauds were heard throughout the hall. SpongeBob and Sandy held hands and looked at the cheering crowd. They started walking down the hall, hand in hand. At the front of the palace was Mindy and her sea-horse drawn carriage. SpongeBob helped Sandy up to the carriage before entering. Mindy whipped the sea-horses, causing them to neigh then galloped to Marlin Marina, where they would spend their honeymoon. SpongeBob kept his promise to take Sandy there on the last day of their journey. There, they enjoyed the sun and the breathtaking view of Seaweed Sea.

Eleven more months passed. It was the middle of October. Sandy moved into SpongeBob's pineapple, using the treedome as an exercise spot and fun laboratory. Ever since their marriage, Sandy fell in and out of depression. SpongeBob couldn't help but feel that he was to blame, except he didn't know what he did wrong. They were happily married, so Sandy shouldn't be sad at all. He couldn't stand the thought of Sandy leaving him. One night, when he noticed Sandy crying, SpongeBob lost it. He apologized, "Sandy, I'm so sorry for whatever I did! Please don't leave me! I can't stand seeing you so sad!" Sandy looked up, tears rolling down her eyes, "It's not you, SpongeBob. It's just that one of the only things I've ever wanted in life after getting married was to be a mother. The problem with that is that you and I can't have kids. You're a sea creature, and I'm a land critter. How will we know what our kids look like and how will they breathe? I don't blame ya'll for this. It's just that I want to be a mother is all, and we squirrels are known to love kids." SpongeBob understood and hugged his wife.

That night, after Sandy fell asleep, SpongeBob was thinking of a way to make Sandy happy. Sandy's birthday was in three weeks on November 8. He had the greatest idea of what to give Sandy for her birthday. He decided to adopt a kid for her.

The next week, SpongeBob convinced Mr. Krabs to spread the Krusty Krab brand worldwide starting with the United States. He later told Sandy that he was going on a two week business trip. He kissed Sandy goodbye and went on his bus to California. He made it to Texas in a week. He successfully made a deal of a small chain of Krusty Krab restaurants around the Los Angeles and San Diego counties. SpongeBob smirked as he remembered his real point of being on land. He stopped by Houston, Sandy's hometown. He read the address one more time, and confirmed that he found his destination, a large oak tree about three times the length of Sandy's treedome. He knocked on the wooden door. Sandy's mother answered, "SpongeBob? Whatcha doin' here?" SpongeBob replied, "Mrs. Cheeks, ma'am, I need your help. Sandy's depressed because we can't have kids. I'm here to adopt a baby squirrel as a birthday gift for her." Mrs. Cheeks smiled, "Follow me." She motioned SpongeBob to her car. As they left, Mrs. Cheeks said, "You came to the right place, SpongeBob. We squirrels love kids. Whether we adopt orphaned or abandoned babies or simply reproduce them, we don't care. We always consider parenthood a true honor. And I'm the one who taught Sandy that. I remember she was so excited to have her own children before leaving for Bikini Bottom. That was one of the things she loved to talk about with me." SpongeBob smiled. He never knew this side of Sandy.

SpongeBob and Mrs. Cheeks arrived at the adoption center. Sandy's mother looked and saw a baby squirrel that looked a lot like Sandy except with slightly darker skin. The squirrel behind the counter smiled, "This is little Sienna. She's only nine months old and she's probably the happiest little thing in this entire building. She rarely cries at all!" Mrs. Cheeks commented, "She looks like Sandy when she was a baby. SpongeBob, come here! What do you think?" SpongeBob stared at Sienna. She was smiling graciously and yawned cutely. His eyes dilated, "She's beautiful! She DOES look like Sandy!" Mrs. Cheeks smiled, "We'll take her!" SpongeBob then signed the paperwork and thanked Mrs. Cheeks before leaving back for Bikini Bottom. As he departed, Mrs. Cheeks shouted, "Bye! And good luck with little Sienna!"

On the bus ride back, SpongeBob held Sienna close in his arms. She squeaked as she tried to feel SpongeBob's face. SpongeBob laughed. The bus driver announced that they were about to hit water. SpongeBob pulled out a miniature water helmet and placed it on Sienna's head. Sienna giggled adorably as a response. SpongeBob then had another idea. He was a sponge! Why not make a sponge as an offspring? He grunted as he formed a baby sponge that came out of one of his pores. The baby sponge started crying silently as SpongeBob smiled and wrapped him into a spare blanket. He whispered, "I'm gonna name you Junior, short for SpongeBob Junior." Junior calmed down and fell asleep next to Sienna, who hugged her new little brother. SpongeBob awwed at the sight as the bus driver stopped at Bikini Bottom.

SpongeBob exited the bus and decided to hide the babies next to the door as a surprise. He took out his handheld calendar and noticed that he promptly arrived on Sandy's birthday. He unlocked the door to notice Sandy watching a romantic movie with tears in her eyes. He greeted, "Happy birthday Sandy!" Sandy turned around and yelled, "Spongy, you're home, and ya'll remembered my birthday! Thanks so much, sweety!" She ran into SpongeBob's arms in a tight hug. She pecked him on the lips and turned to the kitchen. SpongeBob called, "Sandy, I still have a surprise for you!" Sandy turned around and asked, "Well, what and where is it?" SpongeBob smiled and walked out of the door saying, "Sandy, I say right now with no exaggeration that this will be the greatest and most important birthday gift you will ever have in your life." Struggling to hold back her excitement, Sandy asked, "Well, what is it?!" SpongeBob held the door open with his leg as he picked Sienna and Junior up and carried them into his house, "Surprise, Sandy!" Sandy gasped. Could her eyes deceive her? Could it be? She asked, "Sp-SpongeBob? D-did ya…" She couldn't speak. SpongeBob nodded, "Yep, on my little business trip to land, I stopped by Texas and visited your mother to ask her what the perfect gift for my perfect lady should be. She mentioned that squirrels love adopting kids, so I decided to adopt one. We chose one that looks a lot like you! Her name's Sienna and she's only nine months old. The other kid is a sponge I budded on my way back here. He's SpongeBob Jr., or just Junior for short. What do you think, Sandy?" Sandy was still speechless.

SpongeBob handed Sienna and Junior to his wife. Junior was still asleep, but Sienna smiled brightly at her new mother and made a quiet and extremely cute squeak. Tears formed in Sandy's eyes as she stared happily at her two new kids. She whispered, "Spongy, this is the best thing you've ever done to me. I love you so much!" She hugged Sienna and Junior as she started crying silently. Seeing his wife cry tears of joy at her new cute children made SpongeBob tear up as well. He wrapped an arm around Sandy and kissed her on the lips. He placed his arm around his wife's shoulder, "Now we CAN be a family. We get to finally be parents, Sandy." Sandy nodded as more tears escaped her eyes. She pulled forward for another tight hug, sobbing silently with joy again.

SpongeBob bought a crib that same day for Sienna and Junior to sleep in together. SpongeBob climbed in his bed with Sandy, who still had tears in her eyes. She whispered, "I can't believe I'm a mother now! And it's all thanks to you, SpongeBob! I love you so much." SpongeBob smiled, "I just wanted to see you happy, Sandy. I love you too." They kissed on the lips passionately. They separated and walked hand in hand to the crib, where Sienna was hugging Junior, sleeping together. Sandy held SpongeBob close, both of them smiling at the sight. They found a way to be blessed with parenthood, and they were both happy and excited for the future that was ahead of them.

**Hope you guys enjoyed reading this story as much as I have writing it! I tried having the very end be open for a spin-off, because honestly, who WANTS SpongeBob to end forever? I will likely have more stories involving our spongy and squirrelly friends! Stay tuned for those! :D**


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